It didn’t take long for former CFL quarterback Dane Evans to make good on his promise to pursue a career in coaching.
On Friday, Owasso High School in Oklahoma announced the hiring of Evans as their new quarterbacks coach. The three-time state championship-winning program is the alma mater of CFL all-star Keon Hatcher, with whom Evans played during the final year of his career.
The 30-year-old pivot announced his retirement from professional football on New Year’s Day, bringing an end to a seven-year stint north of the border. The native of Chickasha, Okla. finished his CFL career with 9,636 passing yards, 49 touchdowns, and 40 interceptions over 79 games. He also carried the ball 131 times for 451 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Evans joined the CFL as a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2017 and spent five seasons with the club, first becoming its starter in 2019 after Jeremiah Masoli suffered a season-ending knee injury. He helped lead the club to a 15-3 record that year and a berth in the 107th Grey Cup.
The six-foot-one, 218-pound passer served as Masoli’s backup to start the 2021 season but eventually took over the starting role before suffering an injury. Evans took over from Masoli in a relief role during the East Final and helped lead Hamilton to an upset victory over the Toronto Argonauts. He started the 108th Grey Cup the following week but was replaced by Masoli after suffering an injury in the second quarter.
Evans became the team’s unquestioned starter in 2022 after he signed a two-year contract extension and Masoli departed for the Ottawa Redblacks. The Tulsa product regressed in his first full year as Hamilton’s starter, throwing for 3,883 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. He was benched at various times for Matthew Shiltz, including the East Semi-Final against the Montreal Alouettes.
In February 2023, Evans was traded to the B.C. Lions in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft after Hamilton acquired Bo Levi Mitchell to serve as their franchise quarterback. He renegotiated his contract as part of the deal and served in a backup role to Vernon Adams Jr. Evans made two starts while Adams was out due to injury and posted a 1-1 record.
Owasso finished the 2023 season with a 9-3 record. Since 2017, they have been coached by Bill Blankenship, who was the head coach at the University of Tulsa during Evans’ tenure at the school.
