York University Lions football coach Tom Norwell was named the recipient of the 2015 Gino Fracas Award, presented to the CIS assistant coach of the year, on Thursday night (Nov. 26) in Quebec City at the Sun Life All-Canadian Banquet presented by Mallette.
Norwell has been the assistant head coach and linebackers coach at York since joining the Lions in 2010 alongside head coach Warren Craney. He has been a valuable asset to the coaching staff since his arrival even while working full time in Tennessee, where he was hired as president of Remington Industries in 2012.
Throughout each football season since then, he flies into Toronto from the "Volunteer State" on Thursdays in time for that night's practice, and then stays to coach the game on the weekend and help with corrections on Sunday before flying back to Tennessee for another work week. He also plans his vacation time around Lions training camp so he can be on site each year for the first weeks of practice, and during the off-season he is available for weekly meetings by phone and makes a point to fly to Toronto whenever top-level recruits visit campus so that he can participate in the process.
"When I was initially hired at York, one of the first people I asked to join my coaching staff was Tom because I wanted his expertise and passion as part of my team," said Craney. "His dedication to our program is evident, and it means a lot to me that he puts in so much time to make the York Lions better even with his own hectic schedule. I am honoured to have him coach alongside me and thrilled that his contributions to our program are being recognized on such a big stage."
Norwell worked with Team Ontario for two years, serving as the defensive line coach in 2011 and the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach in 2012. Prior to joining the coaching staff at York, he spent 10 years as the defensive coordinator at Dr. G.W. Williams S.S. in Aurora, and has also worked as a guest coach with Concordia University and the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL.
About the Gino Fracas Award
This award is named to honour a man who has made a lifetime of outstanding contributions to amateur football. Gino Fracas moved right into a coaching role at the University of Alberta after his days playing for the Edmonton Eskimos. He led them to three league championships in the next four years. In 1963 his team won the Golden Bowl, the unofficial university national championship, and he also appeared in the very first Canadian College Bowl in 1965.
He was highly respected and admired for his dedication and commitment to the great sport of Canadian football. In 2011, two years after his passing, he was inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame in the builder category.
The award created by Football Canada to pay recognition to the assistant coach that provides endless hours to improve the experience for the players and to support the other coaches. This award also ensures that Fracas's legacy within the game of football is remembered.
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