The York Lions have named former CFL defensive back Dexter Janke as the team’s new head coach.
The 31-year-old native of Edmonton started his coaching career in 2021 as the defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator of the Westshore Rebels of the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL). He became the club’s head coach and assistant general manager in 2023, helping the team finish atop the British Columbia Conference with a 12-1 record and earn a berth in the Canadian Bowl.
“This is a really exciting time,” said Janke in a statement. “We have a great opportunity to reset the standard, come together as a group and bring a lot of pride and excitement to this program.
“I have a personal connection to this program with my younger brother playing here. Being able to see the opportunities he had while he was here that have developed him into who he is today is something I hold true to my heart.”
The Lions went 0-8 this past season, losing their games by a combined score of 560-42. The team was shut out five times and kept only one contest relatively close, losing to the Waterloo Warriors by a score of 53-32 on Sept. 3. Nathaniel Griffith and Brian Jones served as associate head coaches and it remains unclear if either will return to the team in 2024.
“On behalf of Athletics and Recreation, we are thrilled to welcome Dexter Janke to our department and the university,” said York executive director of Athletics and Recreation Steven Chuang. “Coach Janke’s core values align with our mission of delivering a world-class student-athlete experience by transforming the lives of everyone that we touch — one Lion at a time.
“Coach Janke’s hiring signals A&R’s investment to bolster the strengths of our long-standing football program and our commitment to maintaining the team as a varsity program. I’d like to invite current students, prospective athletes and parents, as well as the broader York community to rally around this juncture in time as we build up a strong culture for this program. I am confident that Coach Janke will be able to do just that, bringing football fans and non-football fans together as we enter a promising football season for 2024.”
Janke was a fifth-round pick in the 2015 CFL Draft out of the University of Saskatchewan. He played four seasons as a member of the Calgary Stampeders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers, recording one defensive tackle and 11 special teams tackles over 21 games and winning one Grey Cup. He suffered three ACL tears in the same knee prior to turning pro.
His younger brother, Jacob Janke, played his collegiate career at York University. He was a fourth-round pick in the 2019 CFL Draft and has since been a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
York has gone 1-21 since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic with the lone victory coming by forfeiture. The team hasn’t made an OUA playoff appearance since 2004, boasting six winless seasons over that timeframe.
The Lions’ lone playoff win this century came in 2002 when they defeated the Ottawa Gee-Gees in the OUA quarter-final round before being eliminated by the McMaster Marauders the following week.
“We’re not going to run from where we are, we know where we are in the development process of the program,” said Janke. “Establishing the culture will be the biggest piece in this, making sure we as a staff are consistent in our messaging and upholding a standard of excellence here.”
Despite the team’s recent lack of success, York has produced a number of players currently experiencing success at the professional level. Luther Hakunavanhu and Chris Kolankowski are both starters in the CFL, while Nikola Kalinic is a member of the Los Angeles Rams.
