Ticats.ca
HAMILTON — After a year away, Orlondo Steinauer is back in the Canadian Football League.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats announced Thursday that Steinauer will be their assistant head coach in 2018, returning to the club after a one-year stint as the Fresno State Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator.
Steinauer played 13 seasons in the CFL before becoming a coach in 2010. He was the Ticats’ defensive coordinator for four seasons before taking an NCAA job.
“Orlondo is an accomplished CFL coach with a great track record at this level,” said Ticats head coach June Jones. “He’s a coach whose great work ethic, intelligence, knowledge of the Canadian game and ability to get the most out of his players will be a huge asset to our staff.
“We’re very happy to bring him home to Hamilton after an exceptional year at Fresno State.”
Steinauer helped engineer Fresno State’s remarkable turnaround last season, posting a 10-4 record and winning the Hawaii Bowl over the University of Houston. That came one season after the team posted a 1-11 record , making the Bulldogs only the second team in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) history to go from double-digit losses one season to double-digit wins the next.
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Orlondo Steinauer coached the Ticats’ defence for four seasons before going to Fresno State (Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca)
“This was a big decision for our family, and I’m unbelievably excited to join the Tiger-Cats and June Jones’ staff as his assistant head coach,” said Steinauer. “Our family has spent the vast majority of our lives in southern Ontario together and the opportunity right now in Hamilton was perfectly aligned with my personal and professional priorities, which obviously include bringing a Grey Cup back to the great fans of the Tiger-Cats.
“This was certainly not an easy decision to leave the situation at Fresno State, which has been incredible,” Steinauer added. “I want to thank all of the great people, players and coaches at Fresno State, who all contributed to a memorable season, to say the least.”
Before heading south, Steinauer earned a reputation as one of the CFL’s brightest defensive minds and fastest-emerging stars in the coaching world. The Seattle, Washington native’s defensive units helped lead the Ticats to Grey Cup appearances in 2013 and 2014, consistently ranking at or near the top of the league in numerous defensive categories.
Steinauer’s 11-year coaching career also includes stops with the Toronto Argonauts (2010-12) and Western Washington University (1996-98) when he was still an active player. As a player, he captured two Grey Cup rings in 13 CFL seasons as a dominant defensive back with the Ottawa Rough Riders (1996), Tiger-Cats (1997-2000) and Argonauts (2001-08).
He was named an all-star at three different positions (cornerback, halfback and safety), earning six divisional all-star nods and five CFL all-Star honours in total. His 1,178 interception return yards are the second most in CFL history.
“I know these decisions are always big for coaches and families, and I’m thrilled as the head coach that someone of Orlondo’s character and talent is joining the staff as my assistant head coach,” said Jones. “This is a great thing for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats organization. After speaking with him at length and from talking to people in the organization, including some of the players, I know this addition will help us in our quest to bring a Grey Cup Championship back to Hamilton.”
