PTASZEK PUMPED TO LEAD THE MARUADERS FOOTBALL PROGRAM
December 23, 2005
HAMILTON - As Stefan Ptaszek donned his new McMaster Marauder colours for the first time, his initial response was both candid and funny: "It doesn't burn." Ptaszek was introduced to the McMaster family, media and guests Friday afternoon following a whirlwind couple of weeks that saw him appointed as the new head coach of the Marauders football program just days after helping the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks win the 2005 Vanier Cup.
"It's a little bit different, I will get used to it," Ptaszek said of his new maroon McMaster jacket. "I think maybe the second hardest thing is that I have to get rid of 90 per cent of my wardrobe now. I couldn't find anything that didn't have purple and gold in it today but it's a nice problem to have."
Ptaszek leaves his job as offensive co-coordinator at Laurier to take over the post from Marcello Campanaro, whose contract was not renewed after two years in the head coach position. Expectations are high for the young Burlington, ON native, who now resides in Dundas with his wife Karen and son Christopher. The Marauders struggled through an up-and-down 2005 following five straight trips to the Yates Cup, including four wins.
"Stefan is a brilliant young coach," said McMaster's Director of Athletics and Recreation Therese Quigley. "We knew that we wanted him to be coach of the Marauder football team."
"We are delighted to have a coach of Stefan's calibre," added McMaster President and Vice Chancellor Dr. Peter George.
Ptaszek admits that leaving the Golden Hawks program was one of the more difficult decisions of his life. His résumé includes three years under Gary Jeffries at Laurier and stints at the University of British Columbia, where he was the co-offensive co-coordinator of the Thunderbirds, Southwood Secondary School (Cambridge, ON) and Nelson Secondary School (Burlington, ON), where he played his high school football.
Jeffries, the Ontario University Athletics coach of the year the past three seasons, has had a profound impact on Ptaszek's development as a coach and the new McMaster head man paid homage to his mentor and best friend. He said that Jeffries understood the magnitude of the decision and didn't try to sway him either way.
"A wise coach once told me, I think his name was Jeffries, "˜I cannot promise you wins,'" Ptaszek explained to the assembled crowd. "'My job as head coach is to make sure that we compete to the best of our abilities until there's no time left on the clock.'"
Ptaszek said that when you begin from that premise, success takes care of itself. As head coach, he insisted that he will fit his system to his player's skills rather than forcing individuals to adapt. His goal is to use motion and formation to simplify the offence.
"Ultimately, we've got to do what we're good at doing so what the playbook starts with and where we go to, that's all driven by the players," he said.
Laurier had two wins over McMaster this season, including a decisive 43-21 victory in the OUA semi-final in Waterloo. The team's first met this season in week four, a 33-26 Golden Hawks win that featured a late Marauders rally. Ptaszek said that there was no quit in his new team that day and he looks forward to the challenge of coaching a talented group of players.
"Mac reloads, they don't rebuild," Ptaszek said. "There's a ton of talent at every position. I think almost everybody's back on that offence. There's nothing broken.
"I've had the luxury of coaching against McMaster for three years. They're extremely athletic, extremely disciplined, extremely well coached. To see someone like Jordan (Kozina) step up is something exciting that high school guys should recognize - a first-year guy at a marquee program was one of their elite players. They're committed to playing the best players. They do a lot of things right here. The grass is always greener on the other side and certainly this place is pretty green."
Ptaszek's run at Laurier was a memorable one, culminating in the school's second Vanier Cup this season in a 24-23 thriller over the Saskatchewan Huskies. Ptaszek was also a member of the Golden Hawks 1991 championship squad and in his five years playing there, the receiver was a three-time All-Canadian and the CIS's all-time reception leader with 186 catches before Western Mustangs receiver Andy Fantuz broke the mark in the final game of this season.
Ptaszek said that he couldn't wait to get started on recruiting in the New Year, mentioning that the quest to win a Vanier Cup is a 365-day-a-year job. A match-up with his former school next fall is another highly anticipated event.
"They (Laurier) have promised they're ordering an extra 50 speakers to put behind the Mac bench, specifically right behind the head coach," Ptaszek said with a smile. "If I can hear myself speak, then they don't have them on loud enough. I'm sure it's going to be mixed emotions.
"They're going to give me a hard time for wearing these colours but at the end of the day they want what's best for me and my family."
- OUA -
(Photo by Jessica Morgan, OUA)
"It's a little bit different, I will get used to it," Ptaszek said of his new maroon McMaster jacket. "I think maybe the second hardest thing is that I have to get rid of 90 per cent of my wardrobe now. I couldn't find anything that didn't have purple and gold in it today but it's a nice problem to have."
Ptaszek leaves his job as offensive co-coordinator at Laurier to take over the post from Marcello Campanaro, whose contract was not renewed after two years in the head coach position. Expectations are high for the young Burlington, ON native, who now resides in Dundas with his wife Karen and son Christopher. The Marauders struggled through an up-and-down 2005 following five straight trips to the Yates Cup, including four wins.
"Stefan is a brilliant young coach," said McMaster's Director of Athletics and Recreation Therese Quigley. "We knew that we wanted him to be coach of the Marauder football team."
"We are delighted to have a coach of Stefan's calibre," added McMaster President and Vice Chancellor Dr. Peter George.
Ptaszek admits that leaving the Golden Hawks program was one of the more difficult decisions of his life. His résumé includes three years under Gary Jeffries at Laurier and stints at the University of British Columbia, where he was the co-offensive co-coordinator of the Thunderbirds, Southwood Secondary School (Cambridge, ON) and Nelson Secondary School (Burlington, ON), where he played his high school football.
Jeffries, the Ontario University Athletics coach of the year the past three seasons, has had a profound impact on Ptaszek's development as a coach and the new McMaster head man paid homage to his mentor and best friend. He said that Jeffries understood the magnitude of the decision and didn't try to sway him either way.
"A wise coach once told me, I think his name was Jeffries, "˜I cannot promise you wins,'" Ptaszek explained to the assembled crowd. "'My job as head coach is to make sure that we compete to the best of our abilities until there's no time left on the clock.'"
Ptaszek said that when you begin from that premise, success takes care of itself. As head coach, he insisted that he will fit his system to his player's skills rather than forcing individuals to adapt. His goal is to use motion and formation to simplify the offence.
"Ultimately, we've got to do what we're good at doing so what the playbook starts with and where we go to, that's all driven by the players," he said.
Laurier had two wins over McMaster this season, including a decisive 43-21 victory in the OUA semi-final in Waterloo. The team's first met this season in week four, a 33-26 Golden Hawks win that featured a late Marauders rally. Ptaszek said that there was no quit in his new team that day and he looks forward to the challenge of coaching a talented group of players.
"Mac reloads, they don't rebuild," Ptaszek said. "There's a ton of talent at every position. I think almost everybody's back on that offence. There's nothing broken.
"I've had the luxury of coaching against McMaster for three years. They're extremely athletic, extremely disciplined, extremely well coached. To see someone like Jordan (Kozina) step up is something exciting that high school guys should recognize - a first-year guy at a marquee program was one of their elite players. They're committed to playing the best players. They do a lot of things right here. The grass is always greener on the other side and certainly this place is pretty green."
Ptaszek's run at Laurier was a memorable one, culminating in the school's second Vanier Cup this season in a 24-23 thriller over the Saskatchewan Huskies. Ptaszek was also a member of the Golden Hawks 1991 championship squad and in his five years playing there, the receiver was a three-time All-Canadian and the CIS's all-time reception leader with 186 catches before Western Mustangs receiver Andy Fantuz broke the mark in the final game of this season.
Ptaszek said that he couldn't wait to get started on recruiting in the New Year, mentioning that the quest to win a Vanier Cup is a 365-day-a-year job. A match-up with his former school next fall is another highly anticipated event.
"They (Laurier) have promised they're ordering an extra 50 speakers to put behind the Mac bench, specifically right behind the head coach," Ptaszek said with a smile. "If I can hear myself speak, then they don't have them on loud enough. I'm sure it's going to be mixed emotions.
"They're going to give me a hard time for wearing these colours but at the end of the day they want what's best for me and my family."
- OUA -
(Photo by Jessica Morgan, OUA)