Queen’s football made a new addition to their coaching staff last Thursday, naming Tom Flaxman the team’s new offensive coordinator.
Flaxman spent the past 11 years coaching in the OUA, most notably for McMaster, Western and U of T. In his most recent season with McMaster, Flaxman served as the program’s interim head coach following the mid-season termination of Head Coach Greg Knox.
The Gaels hope Flaxman will refresh their offence after they went 3-5 last season.
Flaxman and newly-appointed Head Coach Steve Snyder have some history on and off the field, having played each other in the mid-2000s when they both attended schools within the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) conference.
During his playing career, Flaxman was a running back. He played at McMaster—where he won the 2003 Yates Cup—and Acadia, capturing the 2005 and 2006 AUS Title. Meanwhile, Snyder laced up for conference rival St. Francis Xavier.
“So we’ve been going at it for a long time,” Flaxman said at a press conference on Jan. 24.
Flaxman got his start in U Sports coaching in 2008 with Acadia, eventually helping the team win the 2011 AUS championship as its offensive coordinator. He’s also been involved with Team Ontario over the past seven years, and won the Canada Cup Gold in 2014.
Snyder and Flaxman share similar coaching styles and ideals, which they hope will lead to long-term success for the Gaels.
“We’ve spent a lot of time at various functions discussing philosophy on offense, philosophy on the program and culture. I know we are on the same page,” Flaxman said.
In addition, Flaxman has the reputation as a skilled recruiter. During his time at Western and McMaster, Flaxman had brought in the top three Canada Football Chat recruits while working with the schools.
Given his history of bringing in athletes, Flaxman tried recruiting some players who are in fact currently on the Queen’s roster.
“Working at McMaster and Western, I’ve recruited a lot of the guys on [Queen’s] roster so I have some relationships with them,” Flaxman said, adding he hopes his previous dialogue with players will help them adjust to his coaching.
Although he never attended Queen’s, Flaxman said he’s aware of the institution’s reputation of excellence in sport and academics. “I’ve had a number of family members who have gone to Queens and they’ve always spoken highly of the Queens community,” he said.
Most importantly, Flaxman is hoping to help build a championship football team with the Gaels. He wants to “create a culture of competition” within the team and for players to hold each other accountable.
“I’m excited to be here and join the tradition and hopefully build on it,” Flaxman said.
The Gaels will open their 2019-2020 season on Aug. 25 at home against the Carleton Ravens.
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