Mount Allison’s Kelly Jeffrey named 2014 CIS Football Coach of the Year
SACKVILLE, NB — At the 2014 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) annual football awards ceremony held Thursday, November 27 in Montreal, Kelly Jeffrey, head coach of the Mount Allison Mounties, was named CIS Coach of the Year.
This is Jeffrey's second consecutive nomination and first selection as CIS Coach of the Year. It comes on the heels of two consecutive AUS Coach of the Year honours earned in 2013 and 2014, as well as his first AUS Coach of the Year award in 2010. It is only the second time that a Mount Allison head football coach has been named the CIS Coach of the Year. Steve Bruno earned the award in 1984.
Under Jeffrey's leadership, the Mounties have continually improved the past five years, and are two-time defending AUS conference champions (2013, 2014). The team this year achieved another first in Mountie Football history, completing a perfect 8-0 regular season.
"It is an honour to accept this award on behalf of the 2014 Mounties," says Jeffrey. "This season was an incredible journey with so many people contributing to our success. I am humbled to be added to a list of so many coaches that I respect and admire."
Athletic Director Pierre Arsenault is pleased for Jeffrey, who first joined Mount Allison as an assistant coach in 2006. He has been head coach of the Football Mounties for the past seven seasons.
"We are absolutely thrilled to see Coach Jeffrey get this much-deserved national recognition," states Arsenault. " From the day I arrived at Mount Allison, I knew that we had a tremendous talent in Coach Jeffrey and that if we could find a way to support the team with a few resources, his leadership would take us to great heights."
Mount Allison University President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Robert Campbell says Jeffrey is truly deserving of the award.
"He has been a determined leader of Mount Allison's football program. Not only has he led the Mounties to success on the field, but he has done it 'the Mountie way' — our team is comprised of hard-working student-athletes whose collective academic and community success parallels their on-field achievements as a team and as individuals."
Individual awards were also bestowed on three Mountie players. Kwame Adjei was named a CIS 1st team All-Canadian for the second straight year and both Jacob LeBlanc and rookie Chris Reid earned 2nd team All- Canadian honours. LeBlanc was also a finalist for CIS Lineman of the Year, while Reid was a finalist for CIS Rookie of the Year.
Arsenault observes that the renewal of the Mounties' football program under coach Jeffrey points to a bright future.
"Kelly's vision and unwavering understanding and insistence on how to build a championship program is the reason we are back to back AUS champions and that we now find ourselves as a nationally-ranked and respected CIS football program, " says Arsenault. "More exciting is the fact that we know we can accomplish even more under Coach Jeffrey and his talented coaching staff."
For more information on all the CIS football award winners, visit cis-sic.ca
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