Eiben returns to Ticats turf for Football Day in Hamilton

Kevin Eiben is no stranger to the Labour Day Classic, but Sept 5. will be his first time on the sidelines rather than on the field for the iconic game.
The Canadian Football League veteran linebacker spent 11 seasons with the Toronto Argonauts from 2001-2011 and his final year with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2012. Eiben now serves as the defensive coordinator for the University of Toronto Varsity Blues football program who will face the McMaster Marauders to kick off WeatherTech Football Day in Hamilton.
“It’s such a long tradition between the Argos and Ticats on Labour Day,” said Eiben. “When our head coach Greg Gary approached me about having this ‘U of T, Mac’ battle at Tim Hortons Field before the game, I was like, ‘this is a no brainer, this is amazing.’”
Eiben never planned on being a coach.
He accepted a front office job with the Ticats as manager of new business development in 2013 and was attending the team’s training camp at Ron Joyce Stadium, the Marauders home field, when fate struck.
“I ran into the special teams coach at Mac and they told me to put my name in for the new defensive coordinator position, so I did,” recalled Eiben. “I interviewed for it with several other candidates and ended up getting it. So at the time I was doing both Ticats front office and coaching and I realized, you know what, I really miss being on the football field and working with the kids was something I was passionate about.
“So I kind of fell into it and the rest is history.”
In his first year with the Marauders, Eiben’s defensive unit ranked second best in Ontario University Athletics (OUA) in yards allowed per game and set a school record of 19 consecutive quarters without giving up a touchdown. Eiben moved on to be the defensive coordinator of the University of Toronto Varsity Blues the following year.
The long time Argo and one time Ticat will make his return to the Hamilton football turf on Labour Day. His recollections of the Argos and Ticats rivalry during his playing days are still vivid, specifically the matches that fell on the first Monday of September.
“We played a lot of good talent,” said Eiben. “Danny McManus was one of the best quarterbacks I’ve played against… Going back on the memories it was just a live environment, very energetic, and if you came out to the game there was always a fight somewhere within the game that was always entertaining.”
Eiben retired as a five-time East Division All-Star and three-time CFL All Star. He spent most of the Ticats and Argos rivalry in double blue, but had a brief taste of what it was like to be on the other side.
“For the 11 years with the Argos I was always going into Ivor Wynne as the hated one,” said Eiben. “And then my last year actually playing in the Black and Gold and playing at Ivor Wynne, it was kind of neat coming out and actually being cheered for instead of actually being booed.”
But now Eiben has a new passion; coaching.
Eiben played with and under some of the most notable coaches in the CFL today during his career. Current Ticats head coach Kent Austin was Toronto’s offensive coordinator when Eiben won a Grey Cup with the Argos in 2004. Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea and Ticats defensive coordinator Orlondo Steinauer were also Eiben’s teammates on that same winning Argos defensive squad.
“I’ve taken really all of the people that I’ve learned from and everybody that I’ve played with and combined all of their techniques into one defence that, hopefully, can turn around this program at U of T and get some kids into the league,” said Eiben.
The Varsity Blues have had a long and documented struggle in the CIS, including a 49-game losing streak that spanned between 2001-2008. The team has shown progress in recent seasons, including a 3-5 record under Eiben last year, falling just short of the OUA playoffs.
Eiben hopes that both the University of Toronto football program and the Labour Day classic between the Varsity Blues and Marauders continues to grow and gain prominence over time.
“It gets a lot of the fans that are there for the CFL game to also come and support the CIS,” said Eiben “It’s a nice friendly rivalry and we get a chance to play on one of the best fields in the nation. I got a chance to watch that thing [Tim Hortons Field] build from the ground up and having sold all of the premium seating I know that stadium in and out.”
Click here to get your Varsity Blues vs. Marauders WeatherTech Football Day in Hamilton tickets.