York University Athletics & Recreation is proud to announce the hiring of former CFL player and 2019 Grey Cup champion Dexter Janke as the 12th head coach in football program history.
"This is a really exciting time," said the native of Edmonton, Alta. "We have a great opportunity to reset the standard, come together as a group and bring a lot of pride and excitement to this program.
"I have a personal connection to this program with my younger brother (Jacob; 2015-19) playing here. Being able to see the opportunities he had while he was here that have developed him into who he is today is something I hold true to my heart."
York Executive Director, Athletics & Recreation Steven Chuang says Janke's hiring speaks to the vision of Athletics & Recreation's senior team for the Lions football program in 2024 and beyond.
"On behalf of Athletics and Recreation, we are thrilled to welcome Dexter Janke to our department and the university," Chuang said. "Coach Janke's core values align with our mission of delivering a world class student-athlete experience by transforming the lives of everyone that we touch one Lion at a time.
"Coach Janke's hiring signals A&R's investment to bolster the strengths of our long-standing football program and our commitment to maintaining the team as a varsity program. I'd like to invite current students, prospective athletes and parents, as well as the broader York community to rally around this juncture in time as we build up a strong culture for this program. I am confident that Coach Janke will be able to do just that, bringing football fans and non-football fans together as we enter a promising football season for 2024."
Janke, 31, spent four seasons (2010-13) with the Saskatchewan Huskies of Canada West. Following his U SPORTS career, he was drafted in the fifth round, 44th overall, by the Calgary Stampeders in the 2015 CFL Draft. He spent three seasons in Calgary, before signing with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2019.
Janke has spent the last four years in various roles with the Westshore Rebels of the British Columbia Football Conference, a division of the Canadian Junior Football League. Upon the end of his playing career in 2019, he was named the secondary coach and special teams coordinator for the 2020 season. The following season, he added the role of defensive coordinator to his responsibilities. Janke then added the role of assistant head coach to his portfolio for the 2022 campaign, before, in November 2022, being named head coach and assistant general manager, while continuing to fulfill the position of defensive and special teams coordinator.
In his first season in 2021, the Rebels had a 1-7 record; they then went 7-3 in 2022, before a perfect 10-0 season in 2023, culminating in a conference title. Janke, who was named both the BCFC and CJFL Coach of the Year in 2023, says he is approaching the rebuild of Lions football in a similar fashion to that of the Rebels, with a focus on team unity and culture.
"The way I'm approaching this is making sure we have a clear and healthy culture established, and making sure we have a group of individuals who are committed to the process and committed to each other," said the four-year CFL veteran. "I'm working hand in hand with the coaching staff to make sure we have a solid structure and foundation to build upon.
"We have to focus on the structure, on the culture, and the results will come."
York Director, Athletics Alex Dominato believes Janke is the right man to help deliver those results.
"I could not be more excited than to announce Dexter Janke as the next Head Football Coach of the York Lions," said Dominato. "He is a proven winner and leader as a student-athlete, professional player and head coach. His ability to bring everyone along for the journey was evident and special to all of our stakeholders.
"He captivates every room he enters, and is a special leader that will guide our program, campus and community to levels it has not been to in many years.
"I want to provide an immense thank you to our hiring committee who provided time, care and effort in selecting Dexter. It takes a village to support our entire program, and it provides me with so much gratitude that we have such special individuals who are staff, student-athletes, alumni and community members that care about this program. This program is only moving forward with a renewed sense of support and purpose."
This is a very unique opportunity for prospective student-athletes, as well, with a sharp focus not only on recruiting talent, but recruiting those who want to not only play at this level, and, more importantly, want to play at York, with a chance to pave the pathway to a program renaissance.
"We want the people on board who are committed to resetting the standard, and that want to be a part of something special, a part of a group who has the opportunity to do something for the first time," said the former Okanagen Sun.
"Those are our people. Those are the people who are fully engaged and who want to be here, and once they are, we have to make sure they're treated fairly, treated with respect and that the opportunities here are in line with their life goals on and off the field."
Janke's extensive background in junior football circles, specifically on the West coast, gives him a keen understanding of the multiple ways you can procure talent. He believes employing a wide-ranging recruiting strategy is imperative to success.
"There's so many good football players and coaches across this country," he said. "Having the opportunity to connect with people across the CJFL, that is where we'll be looking to recruit players from.
"I think you need to have players from both levels, though, because there are a lot of great high school players in the area. So, it's just a matter of connecting with the people I've had experiences with and they understand how I approach the process, so I know they would be sending the right people our way."
While the Lions were the youngest team in the OUA last season, there is a veteran nucleus which will be leaned upon heavily during the transition.
"We have our ideas as a staff where we would like to be and what we would like to do, but hearing first-hand from the players (is really important)," said Janke. "We need to communicate with them and with the team (as a whole), so we definitely value what they have to say."
Janke knows there is hard work ahead not only this year but in the ones ahead, but is committed - as he's asked his players to be - to putting York back on the OUA football map.
"We're not going to run from where we are. We know where we are in the development process of the program," he said. "Establishing the culture will be the biggest piece in this, making sure we as a staff are consistent in our messaging and upholding a standard of excellence here."
Janke's first official day on the job is Monday, Feb. 5.
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