As a player and as a coach, Quinlan says fan support for the Marauders is vital
'The guys talk about it all the time: the amount of support we have, from the lunch ladies on campus to academic advisors — everybody,' said former Marauders quarterback and 2011 Vanier Cup champion Kyle Quinlan. 'It’s just an incredible amount of support from McMaster, and from the Hamilton community as a whole.'
Kyle Quinlan boarded the Marauders’ bus for Montreal with a good feeling about Saturday’s Vanier Cup, with the team buoyed by hometown support that he describes as “incredible.”
“It’s been a really good vibe the whole season,” he said.
The former Marauders quarterback led the McMaster offence in championship appearances in 2011 and 2012, where he said support from fans at McMaster and in Hamilton were invaluable, just as they are in the buildup to this year’s championship game.
“The guys talk about it all the time: the amount of support we have, from the lunch ladies on campus to academic advisors — everybody,” Quinlan said. “It’s just an incredible amount of support from McMaster, and from the Hamilton community as a whole.”
Quinlan’s leap over a would-be tackler has become an iconic image of McMaster’s electrifying 2011 overtime victory over Laval, though he says the memory of McMaster losing the 2012 rematch — his final university game — still stings.
Today, Quinlan is the Marauders’ quarterbacks coach, and his advice for players in Saturday’s championship is to disregard the spectacle and the distractions of the event, and immerse themselves completely in playing the game.
“Try not to get too caught up in the moment. It’s fairly easy to get caught up in how big of a stage it is,” he said. “When you really dial in, execute the plays and focus on the small details, then the rest kind of takes care of itself.”
As a coach, he says he has learned how much more is going on behind the scenes than he had realized as a player, and how much the total effort contributes to the chance to win.
“This is one of the best staffs in the country. For me to be able to stick around and learn from these guys is pretty special,” he said.
While he is grateful for his five years as a player, and is happy in his role as a coach, Quinlan smiled when asked about making the transition between those roles.
“It’s a different feeling, for sure, not having a direct, tangible impact on the game,” he said. “You can’t just go and run somebody over.”
