‘WERE GOING TO BUILD THIS THING’: Carleton Ravens hire former CFLer Corey Grant as head coach

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Corey Grant hasn’t gotten much sleep the past couple of weeks.

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After applying for the job as head coach of the Carleton Ravens football team, he was interviewed twice. He waited and wondered whether his extensive football background would land him his first head coaching job.

On Friday, the Ravens announced the 45-year-old Grant, who had an 11-year CFL career before getting involved in coaching, was their guy — the 14th head coach in the history of the school’s football program. Steve Sumarah, who was fired in January, has since landed a job as offensive co-ordinator at UBC.

Grant interviewed for about an hour virtually a couple of weeks ago, then came to Ottawa for an in-person interview last week. He was offered the position earlier this week.

Said Grant during what was a whirwind of a day for him Friday: “When the posting came up, I just threw my name into the hat. I’ve wanted to be a head coach for a while. I hadn’t done a resume in a while. I put one together and feel if off to them before the deadline. I was definitely anxious, nervous, like, ‘Uh, oh… what’s going to happen here?’ You talk about it, you think about it — for me I’ve been dreaming about it. When you get that call, you go through all the emotions, it’s like being on a rollercoaster. When you see that 613 come up, then when you hear, ‘We want to offer you the job,’ it’s like, ‘Oh, my goodness.’ ”

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Grant joins the Ravens from the McMaster Marauders where he has served as the assistant coach and offensive co-ordinator since 2019. In addition to his role with the football team, Grant was also an Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism lead within McMaster’s Department of Athletics and Recreation. Prior to joining the Marauders, Grant spent six years coaching with the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats where he served in various roles including assistant offensive co-ordinator.

The timing for Grant is right — it’s a terrific opportunity for him to grow in the game. Asked about what he brings to the Ravens, he said: “My passion — my passion for the game, my passion for teaching, my passion to see student athletes succeed. I’ve learned so many life lessons in this game. I want to be able to pass those on to our student athletes—let them know what success looks like, what winning looks and feels like.

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“I’ve prepared myself enough that if I don’t know, ask questions and seek help. To have really good people around me will help me become successful. That’s the part I do know. When I don’t know, I’ll say, ‘I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.’ Until you become a head coach, you really don’t know what it is to be a head coach. I’m going to learn along the way. I know I’ll make mistakes, I’ll learn from those, become better and hopefully that will help the Carleton Ravens continue to grow.”

Prior to coaching, Grant had a successful CFL career with the Tiger-Cats, Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders. A two-time Gray Cup champ, Grant was named the 1999 Eastern Conference Rookie of the Year after being selected seventh overall in the CFL Draft.

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“I’m thinking back on it, where I’ve been, where I’ve come from and where I am now,” said Grant. “And it’s all been amazing.”

Grant has a lengthy resume of community work, including being the co-chair of the OUA Black Biracial Indigenous Committee (BBI), assistant director of the Black Canadian Coaches Association, chair of the Hamilton Black History Council and the founder of the Black Football Coaches of Canada. His community leadership also includes him having developed the OUA’s United Against Racism campaign idea and the Football Coaching Apprenticeship for Women at McMaster.

A former teacher with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, Grant holds a Master of Science in Education and his teaching certification from Canisius College, along with a Bachelor of Arts, Sociology from Wilfrid Laurier University.

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“I am a kindergarten specialist, I taught the youngest of the youngest,” said Grant. “That taught me so much. Sometimes when you play a sport, you think, ‘I can just go coach it.’ I wanted to go to teachers college to learn how to teach because coaching is teaching, teaching is coaching. By teaching kindergarten, I understand you can’t take anything for granted — it doesn’t matter what level you’re coaching. Even when I was coaching pros, you need to make sure you’re setting a foundation, a base for your students where you never assume they know something. You have to make sure you’re really teaching them their ABCs, that goes for any level of teaching or coaching.”

Grant will bring his wife Jennifer and two children — Qiawna, 13, and Devonn, 11 — with him as they begin a new journey in Ottawa.

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“My wife’s been the rock through all of this, through my sleepless nights where I was tossing and turning,” said Grant. “She’s kept me grounded and she has been the support for all of us.”

Over the past two seasons with the Marauders, Grant’s offenses were consistently ranked at the top of the OUA in total offense, passing yards and first downs. In 2019, the Marauders were OUA champs, winning the Yates Cup. Now it’s on to a new challenge.

“We’re going out to win,” said Grant. “Every time we go on the field, every time we go out and practice, every time we play a game, we’re going to work to be the best we can be at all levels. And we’ll let the chips fall where they may. We’re going to build this thing together and we’ll let it play out.”