Pat Sheahan will not be back as head coach of the Queen’s football Gaels.
The university announced on Tuesday that Sheahan was stepping down after 19 seasons on the job.
Today, Sheahan admitted he wanted to come back but school officials decided a change was necessary.
“I’ve never quit anything in my life,” said Sheahan at a press conference.
“This is a generational change. The program is moving in another direction and that’s the best way to answer whether or not I was fired. I am disappointed I won’t be coaching this team next year but as I said, the school has decided to make a change and it’s time for me to move on.”
Sheahan has spent the past 34 years as a coach in U-Sport football. He has coached the McGill Redmen, Concordia Stingers and since 2000, the Queen’s Gaels.
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Three times he was named coach of the year in Ontario University football. In 2008, he won the Frank Tindall trophy as the top coach in all of Canada.
Sheahan is the fifth winningest coach in U-Sport football history. He joins Frank Tindall and Doug Hargreaves as 100-game winners at Queen’s University.
The Gaels have struggled recently, missing the OUA playoffs, twice in the last three years.
Sheahan said he was proud of his accomplishments, but singled out his one and only Vanier Cup championship at Queen’s in 2009.
“That was quite the year,” said the Brockville, Ont., native.
“We had to beat four very good teams in the playoffs to win the championship. We knocked off McMaster, Western and Laval to qualify for the Vanier. In that game against Calgary, we trailed by 16 points at half-time but rallied to beat the Dinosaurs 33-31. I think it’s safe to say that was the pinnacle of my career.”
Sheahan doesn’t plan on retiring. The member of the Brockville Sports Hall of Fame says he’s a football coach and that’s how he makes a living.
He has some irons in the fire and looks forward to the next chapter of his coaching career, wherever that may be.
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