Université de Maciocia

Grey Cup Champion Coach Brings Winning Pedigree to Carabins

SportsAndrew Maggio — Published October 21, 2011

Danny Maciocia is no stranger to the game of football. He’s successfully coached at every level, going back to his days as the coach of to the Canadian Junior Football League’s St. Leonard Cougars, right up to his Grey Cup with the Canadian Football League’s Edmonton Eskimos in 2005.

In that sense, Maciocia’s experience coaching young teams has been invaluable in his first season as the head coach of the Université de Montréal Carabins.

“I’m coming off a recent volunteer coaching stint at André Grasset College, so I understand how it works when you’re dealing with young, up-and-coming players,” said Maciocia.
Maciocia said that unlike with professional players, as a university coach, touchdowns are just one of his responsibilities.

“When it comes to student athletes, you’re molding a certain type of player, molding them as not only a player but as an individual as well,” he said.

Maciocia was familiar with many of the university’s football people, and it took him only a few days to make his decision to take on the position.

A key factor in Maciocia’s decision to take the job with the Carabins was that it allowed him to return to Montreal.

“Football is a very volatile business and it leads to a lot of bouncing around over the years, so to be back home with my wife and kids, working within a great program, surrounded by great people, it’s the best thing I could ask for,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll be grounded here for a while now.”

While his current roster is filled with young players, Maciocia is confident that this group is on the rise and will be in the top tier of Canadian Interuniversity Sport teams within a few years’ time.

“Hopefully by the time playoffs roll around we’ll be more in sync and start playing our best football at the most important part of the year,” he said. “Down the road, I think this team can become a force to be reckoned with.”

Maciocia’s pedigree left no doubt that he could have found work in the CFL, but, as he put it, “I felt that after weighing my options, this was the best place for me to be.”

Maciocia’s Carabins, have now clinched third place in the Réseau de sport étudiant du Québec standings, after hanging the Concordia Stingers out to dry in a 36-1 bout last Saturday.