Dan Pepe’s coaching obsession
Dan Pepe is a football lifer.
The 39-year-old St. Catharines native played quarterback at St. Catharines Collegiate and when he graduated, he continued on at that position with the Niagara Xmen of the Ontario Varsity Football League, the Burlington Braves of the Canadian Junior Football League and the Tri City Outlaws of the Northern Football Conference.
When his playing days were over, the fire alarm technician jumped into the coaching ranks with St. Catharines Collegiate, the Niagara Regional Minor Football Association and the Niagara Generals peewee travel football program.
“Right after I worked with the Generals, I told my wife I was going to start taking it more seriously and she told me to start studying and set up a desk,” Pepe said. “I said, ‘OK whatever’ but within a year it had just exploded to the point where I was thinking I wanted to coach in the CJFL (Canadian Junior Football League). The next day I found out that the CJFL was coming to the Raiders.”
He threw himself into his newest passion.
“I started studying a lot and I found out that when things aren’’t going right, it makes me work harder. I started with teams that were losing so there were a lot of sleepless nights.”
By the time the Niagara Raiders folded in 2020, he had served as the team’s receivers coach, offensive coordinator and head coach.
He has also coached with the Niagara Spears varsity and junior varsity football programs and his latest gig is serving as the offensive coordinator for the powerhouse A.N. Myer Marauders senior football program.
“I am obviously still heavily involved at Collegiate with (Nathan) Greene and there’s a lot of flag football going on too,” he said.
Greene and Pepe also do individual coaching with quarterbacks. Not even the COVID-19 pandemic could halt his coaching exploits.
“We have been busy and I haven’t stopped. Outside of the lockdowns, we went all year with online meetings and lots of flag football.”
Pepe is the father of five boys, ranging in age to 15 from two, and none of his coaching would be possible without the support of his wife Meagan.
“I am very fortunate. When I met her, I kind of let her know that I have a coaching addiction and she accepted it. She has been amazing.”
There are a number of reasons why Pepe coaches.
“It’s the players. They make you want to do it. And it is the coaching community as well. I am just trying to give back,” he said. “I love the game itself and I just love helping develop young athletes.”
His biggest influence in coaching is former Beamsville quarterback and Hec Crighton Trophy winner Tommy Dennison.
“I was fortunate in 2018 that I got to go to U of T. work with Tommy Dennison and stay with him for a couple weeks,” Pepe said. “After getting mentored by him, it is just a numbers game and we try to go where you are not. It is all about numbers advantages.”
He enjoys his interactions with his players, especially the lunch bucket ones.
“Like a lot of young coaches when we start, we are very enamoured with the top athletes and stuff but over time we want guys who are committed team players and are willing to work hard,” he said. “You find that you have a lot more success with those guys but, of course, if they are great athletes, that helps too. We want to build up guys like that and players like that.”
Myer head coach Dave Buchanan is delighted to have Pepe join his coaching staff.
“First of all he is a good guy, but he always shows up, he is always there and he has a ton of knowledge,” he said. “He has coached a ton of kids and he has coached in a lot of places in the last five or 10 years.”
Pepe and Buchanan share a similar mindset and both love to throw the ball.
“That is important. We have to be on the same page,” Buchanan said. “We have a set thing of what we do for offence but I am also giving him an opportunity to be creative on his own. If he wants to throw his own things in, we do and we work well together.”
