When former University of Calgary football coach Peter Connellan is asked about the secret to his coaching success, he distills it to a few words: the will to prepare.
“Everyone has the will to win. But what separates out success, whether it's sports or business, is the will to prepare,” says Connellan, who will be recognized for his coaching achievements with the Order of the University of Calgary at the June 4 convocation ceremony.
Connellan's story is one of the most remarkable in Canadian university sports history.
Right from the beginning, Connellan demonstrated an instinctive ability to inspire his athletes to be goal setters and prepare them for success. Joining the Dinos football program first as an interim head coach in 1977 and later as head coach in 1983, the former Calgary high school teacher instituted a demanding year-round program of physical training and skill development for his players.
“We stressed the importance of preparation,” says Connellan, whose teams drew players mostly from the Calgary and southern Alberta region. “Our success depended on the fact the players and coaches bought into a 12-month training commitment. We also talked about Dinos pride, and it was something the players believed in very strongly.”
Call it Dinos pride or just hard work, it was the kind of commitment that led to spectacular results.
During 13 years as head coach, Connellan's teams posted a regular season record of 70 wins and only 32 losses. They won the Western Canada conference eight times and advanced to the Vanier Cup—Canada's national championship—five times, winning the cup in 1983, 1985, 1988 and 1995. With the 1995 victory, Connellan became the first coach in Canadian university sports history to lead a team to four Vanier Cups.
Connellan retired after the 1995 season but did return to serve as an offensive coordinator for the team in 2004 and 2005. Through much of his coaching career, he also served as a lecturer in the Faculty of Kinesiology.
Looking back, Connellan speaks quietly about his accomplishments, crediting most of his success to his players.
“The Order of the University of Calgary is a bigger recognition of the program and the players than recognition of me,” says Connellan, who estimates he coached more than 1,100 athletes during his tenure.
Connellan has been recognized with many awards for his coaching work, including the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union Coach of the Year (1977,1985), the 3M Coaching Association of Canada Male Coach of the Year and the Canadian Football League/Football Canada Award of Merit for outstanding lifetime contribution to football in Canada. He is also a member of the University of Calgary Hall of Fame and the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and a new inductee into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
While acknowledging this recognition, what Connellan takes the most satisfaction in today is the off-field contributions of his players, with many achieving successful careers in business, medicine, politics and the arts.
“Most of the players have stayed in Calgary and the Alberta area, and now they're contributing to the community and the university in a very positive way. When I look back, I say I had a great group of players and coaches—in more ways than one.”
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