Call it mutual admiration or just plain respect. A long friendship was put aside briefly on Saturday night as Essex Ravens coach Glen Mills took his team onto the University of Windsor Alumni Field against one of his former standouts, Kyle Quinlan.
Quinlan is one of the best ever to play university football and is now the head coach of the Hamilton Ironmen of the Ontario Junior Varsity Football League.
Saturday’s game was a defensive gem for the most part and it was 9-9 after three quarters before Mills gave his former star pivot one more lesson and guided the Essex Ravens to a 31-9 win.
It was the second time in as many years that Mills was able to get the better of Quinlan on opposite sides of the field.
“He’s been around this league for a lot of years so obviously he knows the ins-and-outs,” said Quinlan prior to Saturday’s opening kickoff.
After playing for the Essex Ravens and Cardinal Carter high school, the South Woodslee native went on to star for the McMaster Marauders where he stacked up numerous awards and led that school to its first ever national championship.
“He (Mills) is one of the best motivators I have ever played for and he won’t except any soft play or quitting on his team.”
At 6’3” 215, and just a couple of years removed from playing, Quinlan still looks like he could suit up. Despite being named both the Hec Crighton Award Winner as the top CIS Player and the CIS Male Athlete of the Year, he went undrafted by the CFL.
There was an offer to play for the Montreal Alouettes but Quinlan was going to be standing on the sidelines holding a clipboard. So he opted to return to McMaster as the quarterbacks and running backs coach and in the summer, with the Ironmen.
“I am a big x and o guy but the bottom line is you have to get your guys motivated and that comes from Coach Mills,” said Quinlan.
If there is a better mentor to a player and now as a coach, Quinlan would be hard pressed to find one. Mills is the commissioner of the OJVFL, has sent literally hundreds of players into the university and pro ranks and recently returned from a guest coaching appearance with the Edmonton Eskimos.
“He was an important person with this program and he gets the respect he deserves,” said Mills.
Prior to Saturday night’s contest, Mills said that he would prefer not to go up against one of his former players but did admit that it was going to be fun and business as usual.
“When it’s time to play football, it’s time to play football and Kyle knows that.”
Quinaln certainly remembered that lesson back a few years ago when he led the Marauders to the Vanier Cup title over Rouge et Or in a game which saw him pass for 482 yards, rush for 106 and named the games MVP.
Now, as a coach, he is starting a learning process and regularly calls up his former coach for a few pointers.
“He does call me and we talk about football. When he took over as the head coach he wanted to know some of the things we (Ravens) do,” said Mills.
Mills said he won’t be surprised if Quinlan moves up the coaching ranks and maybe even land in the pros.
“Having a guy like that as a resource and to look up to is huge for me,” said Quinlan.