Northern Showcase Evaluators / Coaches
Blake Nill, Head Coach - UBC Football
Blake Nill is synonymous with success when it comes to U SPORTS football. Already one of the most decorated coaches in the country after brilliant stints at Saint Mary’s and Calgary, Nill made history with the UBC Thunderbirds in 2015 winning the Vanier Cup, his first with the program. Coach Nill is currently entering his 7th season as Head Coach of the UBC Thunderbirds. Coach Nill led his T-birds to victory in the Vanier Cup in his very first season at UBC. He has led his teams to 8 National Championship games and 17 conference championship games in his 27 years as a Head Coach. Coach Nill has also won eleven Bowl Games and three National Championships.
Paul Orazietti, Former, Usport Assistant Head Coach, Current Sault College Manager of Athletics.
Coach Orazietti coached 10 seasons with the UBC Thunderbirds serving as Offensive and Special Teams Coordinator. He won his 1st Vanier Cup as part of the UBC Varsity Team in 1997 and 2nd Vanier Cup as Associate Head Coach of UBC in 2015. From 2011 - 2016 UBC boasted the top statistical Special Teams in the Canada West Conference. Orazietti was selected to be an assistant coach for Football Canada's U-19 National team that won gold in Harbin China at the 2016 World Football Championships. He has been a guest coach in the CFL on several occassions with both the Calgary Stampeders and the BC Lions. Prior to coaching at UBC, Coach Orazietti was the Head Coach of the Victoria Rebels of the CJFL for five seasons.
Marc-Olivier Dubé - Ottawa University
|
Chris Bertoia - Head Coach University of Waterloo
Chris Bertoia enters his 6th season as Head Coach of the Waterloo Warriors after a tremendous 2017 campaign that saw the Warriors start 4-0 for the first time since 1998 and earn a national ranking of 9th. For the incredible turnaround season, Bertoia was named the 2017 OUA Coach of the Year. A graduate of the University of Waterloo, where he majored in Sociology with a minor in Legal Studies, Bertoia was a four-year starter for the Warriors football team, earning OUA all-star honours as an offensive tackle. Bertoia played in four consecutive Yates Cup Championships, winning the Yates Cup twice in 1997 and 1999.
Stef Ptaszek - Head Coach - McMaster University
Ptaszek became McMaster's head coach in 2006 and won the school's first Vanier Cup championship in 2011. Ptaszek also coached the Marauders to the longest winning streak in CIS history, winning 21 games in a row spanning over the 2011 and 2012 seasons. In 2012, he was named the CIS Coach of the Year. On May 5, 2016, Ptaszek was named the offensive coordinator and receivers coach for the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Ti-Cats. In 2018 he returned to USport football and served as the offensive coordinator for the UBC Thunderbirds for the 2018 season. Finally, on November 28, 2018, Ptaszek was again named head coach of the McMaster Marauders. During his first season back, the Marauders finished the 2019 regular season with a record of 6-2, en route to winning the Yates Cup.
Ryan Beardy - Windsor University - OLINE COACH
Coach Beardy is currently the Offensive Line Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at the University of Windsor. He enters his 5th season as the Offensive Line Coach and 6th on the Lancers Staff. Coach Beardy started his coaching career with 8 years at the youth level with the Sarnia Minor, and Essex Ravens programs. As a player, he played with the Lancers as a 5 year starter at Left Tackle. He played briefly with the Ottawa
Redblacks winning a Grey Cup in 2016 |
