Derek Mortensen/CFL.ca
Kent Austin’s career as a CFL head coach is nothing if not enigmatic.
His resume: two seasons, five years apart; two teams; two Grey Cup appearances; and on Sunday, a chance to make it two rings.
He surprised people when he left, and he surprised people when he came back.
“I’ve learned in this profession, first of all, never say never,” Austin said at the head coaches’ press conference on Wednesday morning.
The 50-year-old left Riderville with a perfect 1-0 record, leading the Riders on a magical run to their first Grey Cup Championship since 1989. He became the offensive coordinator at Ole Miss, before earning his first college head coaching gig at Cornell in 2010.
This season he returned to the CFL, just in time for yet another Cinderella run to the final. And like a fairytale, he’ll now try to win it against the team he coached and quarterbacked to a pair of championships – in front of the same fans he walked away from.
“Most of your plans find a curve in the road at some point, and the profession is pretty transient and volatile,” he said when asked about why he decided to come back.
Austin cited both personal and professional reasons for his decision to join the Ticats. 
For one he can remain close to his daughter Kendall, who attends Cornell University some four hours down the road from where he now lives. Some of his family’s closest friendships meanwhile go back to his days as an offensive coordinator in Toronto.
His other children, he added, have reacquainted with some of their school friends from the last time they were here.
“My son actually went back to the same school that he was in before we left to come to Regina,” continued Austin. “His friends just got older and bigger, but they’re all in the same school.”
“So it was a much easier transition for us.”
Professionally Austin was lured by the shrewd off-field leadership of President Scott Mitchell and owner Bob Young, both of whom continue to demonstrate success growing the Ticat brand.
“I saw an opportunity with the leadership where they were dedicated to success,” Austin said. “And they weren’t going to deviate from their desire to reach that goal and to develop a championship-quality football program.”
Austin appears to be the missing link in the team’s central leadership core, not just off the field as a general manager but on the sideline as a head coach – a dual role he may not have been ready for had he not joined the college ranks first.
“I’ve drawn from every single person, or at least I’ve tried to, that I’ve coached with and been around,” said Austin, who coached under Houston Nutt during his time at Ole Miss. “Even if it was a coach I didn’t like much on the staff.”
“That’s just an issue of whether you’re going to open yourself up and put your pride on the sideline, because everybody has something to teach you,” he continued.
“Those years helped shape me as a coach and hopefully made me a better football coach with the guys I was able to pull that wisdom from.”
One thing that hasn’t changed is Austin’s philosophy, which was successful in bringing the Riders to their third Grey Cup Championship ever in 2007.
Andy Fantuz was on that team in just his second season in the league then, and this season was reunited with Austin in Hamilton.
“When he came in ’07 it was a big thing about culture and team camaraderie and playing for one another and one big family, and it’s very similar this year,” said Fantuz, now in his eighth season in the league.
“You could tell there was something special right when he came in this year,” he continued. “Everyone’s really buying into it and we really like our coaching staff, so it’s fun to play for.”
While Austin’s time in Regina may have been short-lived, Fantuz and his teammates can only hope he’ll stick around a little longer this time. The head coach’s feelings appear mutual.
“What I just felt like was a great opportunity to get back to a great league that’s doing well, with a lot of great coaches, that’s uniquely Canadian and unique to football and the world,” said Austin.
“And with only eight teams it’s pretty special to be a part of one of them.”
