TORONTO, April 9 – York University Lions head football coach Warren Craney announced on Monday (April 8) that Bob Rainford and Brent Weir have joined the Lions coaching staff.
Rainford and Weir, both offensive specialists, will assist new offensive coordinator Mike Comeau. Rainford will work with the quarterbacks and Weir will serve as the offensive line coach.
Rainford has enjoyed a long, successful career as a quarterbacks guru in Ontario and has plenty of experience at all levels of football, including previously serving as the offensive coordinator at York in the mid 1980s. Back at York now, he will work with veteran starting quarterback Myles Gibbon as well as a slew of young, up-and-coming pivots.
Weir, who brings with him to York several years of experience coaching in the CIS, is also currently the offensive line coach at Huron Heights Secondary School, the defending Metro Bowl champions.
“I’ve been trying to get Bob to come to York for years and I am thrilled he has agreed to work with the Lions this season,” said Craney. “His coaching experience with quarterbacks is second to none and he is one of the best in Canada at developing QBs. I am also excited to have Brent on board. Offensive line is one of the most skilled positions in the game and so when the opportunity presented itself to have someone of his calibre join our staff, we couldn’t pass it up. Both of these coaches will have a major impact on the development of our football team.”
Rainford is well-known in football circles for his prowess as a football coach. He has experience at the high school, college and university levels, including with Toronto and Guelph. Among his many accolades, Rainford won a national championship as an assistant head coach and offensive coordinator with Seneca College in 1980 and a Metro Bowl title as offensive coordinator with Woburn Collegiate in 1985. He was also the quarterbacks coach for Toronto’s Eugene Buccigrossi, who won the Hec Crighton Trophy in 1992.
Rainford also spent more than 10 seasons working with the quarterbacks with the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers under Hall of Fame head coach Bill Walsh. He now runs the Bob Rainford Quarterback Academy for high school and university pivots looking to improve their throwing technique and footwork.
Weir is a former CIS player with an impressive resume at Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S. He starred for the Axemen in the late 1990s, earning three AUS all-star honours and a spot on the CIS all-Canadian team in 1998. He then began his coaching career with the Axemen as the offensive line coach, earning the AUS silver medal in 2001.
Weir, who is also a full-time fire fighter with Toronto Fire Services, has since worked as the offensive line coach at a number of high schools in the Greater Toronto Area, most notably Huron Heights Secondary School in Newmarket.
Both Rainford and Weir have already begun working with the Lions football team, and they will both make their debut on the York sideline on Sunday, Aug. 25, when the squad plays its first game of the 2013 OUA season. Kick-off for the home opener is set for 1pm at York Stadium.
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