KANA TAKES OVER GRYPHS \"O\"

By Duane Rollins
Guelph Mercury

GUELPH - It won't take long for University of Guelph Gryphons head football coach Kyle Walters to get to know his new offensive co-ordinator Jason Kana. Actually, all he will need to do is open his high school yearbook.

Walters and Kana both attended Central Elgin Collegiate in St. Thomas. Despite their shared history, both men say Kana's appointment had nothing to do with nepotism.

\"When all this happened, I called all of the coaches in the area that I knew and respected,\" Walters says. \"I asked them who they thought was ready to take this step. Three or four said 'Jason Kana.'\"

Walters says Kana's application was impressive.

\"I liked the fact that he was committed to coaching and that he had university experience. Plus his references were impeccable. Everyone he ever worked with had nothing but good things to say.\"

Kana says he and Walters have \"ran into each other\" occasionally over the past several years at football games, but rarely outside of the sport.

However, Kana says the two men retained a great deal of respect for each other. Something, he suggests, that will benefit the Gryphons.

\"Kyle and I go way back. But that's a good thing,\" he says. \"We know where each other are coming from.\"

Kana joins the Gryphons after spending five years as the head coach of the Burlington Braves of the Canadian Junior Football League. He had 17-17 record with the Braves, with his best season coming in 2003 when he led the team to the Ontario Football Conference championship game and was named the conference's top coach.

Prior to joining the Braves, Kana was an assistant coach at Acadia University, in Wolfville, N.S.

The choice to join the Gryphons staff was an easy one for Kana to make.

\"There was just a feeling I got. There were a number of factors that made me feel the university was committed to building a competitive team.\"

Kana says the chance to work with Walters also factored into the equation.

\"Kyle has an integrity about him, which is a strong value,' Kana says. \"It makes me believe in the things he is saying about making the program better.\"

Although Kana believes the Gryphons can be more competitive immediately, he understands that building a championship team could take time.

He is waiting to see which athletes he has at his disposal before deciding on an offensive style for 2006. However, he prefers a balanced approach between running and passing.

As far as a wish list of players goes, Kana knows what he would like to see the Gryphons bring in.

\"I'm a lineman at heart,\" he says. \"With more teams playing CFL defences, I think most people understand the importance of having solid lines, guys who can physically hammer other teams. It's important for Guelph to have those types of players.\"

One thing Guelph fans won't see from Kana are emotional outbursts on the sidelines.

\"I'm not a rah-rah type of coach,\" he says. \"I'm a little more cerebral in my approach. What happens on the football field during a game you can't control as a coach. You have to move on to the next play.\"

Kana says he would like to stay at Guelph for some time. He is not looking to move into a head coaching position anytime soon.

He is prepared to do the work necessary to bring Guelph football back to the top of the Ontario University Athletics conference--something he knows could take several years.

That's something Walters is glad to hear. A long-term commitment to the program was a requirement of the job.

\"It would have done us no good to bring in a guy that was only interested in staying for a couple years.\"

Reprinted with permission from the Guelph Mercury.

(Photo: Former Burling Braves head man Jason Kana will be responsible for getting points on the board as the new offensive coordinator for the Guelph Gryphons football team. File photo.)