Coach Profile: Tim Kearse - Coach in the CFL from the Hamilton Tiger Cats
Tim Kearse spent 2007 coaching with the Montreal Alouettes after six seasons coaching the Saskatchewan roughrider Receivers. Kearse was also a guest coach with the Roughriders during the 2000 training camp.
He spent three seasons as offensive coordinator and assistant head coach with the Victoria Rebels of the BCJFL prior to joining the Green and White as a CFL coach. While in Victoria, Kearse worked at Belmont high school with mentally and physically challenged youth. Prior to Victoria, Kearse also was an assistant coach with the Balfour Redmen in Regina from 1994 to 1996.
As a receiver, Kearse played in the CFL and NFL. He spent the 1986 season in Detroit with the Lions and in 1987 he was with the Indianapolis Colts. Originally an 11th round draft choice of the San Diego Chargers in 1983, Kearse started out in the CFL in 1983 with the B. C. Lions but was traded to Saskatchewan in 1983 along with Ken Hinton for Saskatchewan’s number one draft choice. Kearse played with the Green and White from 1983-84 and in 1988. Roughrider stats: 34 receptions for 509 yards and two touchdowns…also chipped in 26 punt returns for 326 yards and two touchdowns.
Kearse spent his college career at San Jose State. A two-time all-American, in September of 1983, Kearse was named Sports Illustrated’s player of the week for his outstanding effort against John Elway’s Stanford Cardinals. He scored three TDs and passed for another in a 35-31 victory. Career college stats: 152 receptions (school record) for 2,481 yards and 19 touchdowns. Kearse is second in SJSU all-time career receptions, third in all-purpose yards (3,481) and fourth in receiving yards (2,481). Kearse was SJSU’s Most Outstanding rookie in 1980 and Most Outstanding receiver in 1981 and Most Outstanding Player in his senior year. He was a first-team all-PCAA in 1981, 1982… first-team all-West Coast in 1982. Kearse is also a member of the San Jose State University football Hall of Fame. In April, 2004, Kearse was inducted into York, PA Football Hall of Fame which is his home town. He has spent over six 1/2 years as a social service worker at Paul Dojack Youth Centre helping youth in all areas.
Coaches Question of the week: How did you start in Football?
I am originally from York Pennsylvania. I started playing organized football at the age of 8, called" rink a dinks", which is pee-wee here. I loved the sport and went on to play "pony" or (bantam). From here I went on to midgets and from there to high school football. Once highschool was over I was recruited by some small Div.ll /lll schools in Pennsylvania. I believed that I could better than that, so I went to a JUNIOR college in California with my best friend Brian Hunter ( his son is starting LB. @ IOWA university and had just won the orange bowl).
While attending LA. Valley jr. college , I was recruited by several Div.l schools. Dennis Erickson recruited me however, who was the head coach of the National Champion Maimi University. He was also at one time the Head Coach of the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco's 49ers, and currently Head Coach at Arizona State Univsity. This was finally my break! It was an awsome feeling that I will never forgot, and it made all the work and leaving home to jounery to the west coast worth it, and all the struggles that came before it!
We traveled 3 days by bus from Pennsylvania to California. I had to grow up fast being 3 thousand miles from home with no family! I didn't realize until my last year of college how important my education was in high school. I was a 70% student, but if I had appiled myself better, I would have beena ble to get into some of the small schools in Pennsylvania. It did work out eventually, since I was able to go to the Junior College.
Going to university was the best thing that could have happened to me, and I think it is the best thing that a young person can do for themselves. It will provide more opportunities for one to suceed in life . One of the best moments in football (and there were many) would have been my 1st year at San Jose State when we traveled into Waco Texas to take the #3 ranked Baylor Bears with the All-American Mike Singletary. Also, that year they had 7 other players to be drafted in the 1st 3 rounds of the NFL DRAFT that year. We upset them by 10 points and that put us on the map and set the table for me to be an All-American the next 2 years at SAN JOSE St. .
My next 2 1/2 years I played in the NFL, the grandest stage of all.(DETRIOT/INDY)
I then played in the CFL catching the game winning TD. playing for the Roughriders in 1988 vs. calgary with 15 seconds left in the game! Irony of the story is the next week (actually 3 days later) I was placed on the practise roster then released ( welcome to pro football CFL style!!).
Coaches Question of the week: What's it like getting ready for the upcoming football season?
"My weekend in Toronto started early Friday morning. We drove from Hamilton, and arrived at the Hyatt Hotel ready to do business. The hotel is located on Bloor Street, and is a very luxurious 5 star hotel. This is where all teams and all e-campers were staying, with some of the testing of the players taking place right in the hotel . After checking in we walked over too UofT bubble for the Duane Forde National Invitation Combine. This event is held for one day only. Some 75-80 players attend giving a chance to show off their skills to impress the Cfl's coaches, personnel, and gms. There were a few players that should have been invited to the Cfl combine on sat/sun but unfortunately were not. Friday night started the interview process for the players. This gives the teams a chance to talk 1 on 1 with the individual players.
Starting early Saturday morning the players are given physicals, ht.wt.bench testing, and standing broad flexibilty tests. This continued on all day and was then followed with interviews in the evening after a nice meal.
Sunday was the good stuff with 40's, L-drill, t-test(5-10-5), and 1 on 1's.
All in all I thought just like many others. I saw some good talent out there, and some of the guys stock went up some, and some went down, but overall it was a good group for Cfl draft come May!
On Monday it was back to Hamilton and since we worked on the weekend, Coach Bellfeulle give us Monday off so I will continue my search for living accomadations.
At present until June we are on bankers hours from 9-til 5 and that we will change to long hour days of 6am - 7pm or whatever it takes to get the work done !!
God bless! Bye for now coach TK!
