Lakeshore coach and player honoured
It’s only fitting that Lakeshore Catholic’s Bernie Tessier is the winner of the Hamilton Ti-Cats’ Rocky DiPietro Award.
The 49-year-old native of Belle River, who is the head coach of Lakeshore’s senior football team, took over the program from DiPietro in 2012.
The CFL great was a big influence on Tessier’s coaching career.
“What can you say about the guy? He was amazing and his wealth of knowledge was incredible. It was his love of the kids, the low-key attitude he brought to the way he ran the team and the special intensity he brought to the game as well.”
Another special mentor for Tessier was long-time coach Rick Oreskovich.
“I started here with Rick at Notre Dame and I started minor football with him and a group of great guys back in 1999. I coached with him at Saint Paul as well and he really motivates me to be a great coach and a good man.”
Other mentors were his high school coach John Bloomfield and Western coach Larry Haylor. All of them instilled a passion for the sport in Tessier.
“It is a lot of work but I love it. I love this game and there are so many parts of this game that bring people together and prepares young adults for what is ahead of them. It is important to be a part of that process. I had some great mentors along the way and I always thought when I had the opportunity I wanted to give back.”
Tessier played four years of inside linebacker at Western, winning a Vanier Cup in 1994, losing the Vanier Cup in 1995 and competing in three Yates Cups. He served as team captain in 1997.
He went to teachers college in D’Youville and ended up teaching at Notre Dame in 1999. He taught at Notre Dame for five years, one year at Blessed Trinity, three years at Saint Paul and he has been at Lakeshore Catholic since 2007. He has coached football during his entire career except for his one year at Blessed Trinity.
“As a coach, one my of main goals is making connections with players. I really want to be a players’ coach and having that relationship on and off the field with student-athletes,” he said. “It’s connecting all the dots and being a person that can help connect all those dots in football, in class, in family, in social and all the rest of it. I see the whole picture, teaching and coaching.”
Tessier feels high school football is much more than just a sport.
“It’s important because it is a microcosm for what happens in life. They learn so much out here and they are exposed to so many different successes but a lot of times things don’t go your way and that is kind of life,” he said. “We have had some down years around here as far as our record goes but that’s OK. In life, you are sometimes going to get down and out as well and we talk about what happens after that loss? What happens after you fail? You get knocked down and it just doesn’t happen in football. It happens in a job and in a relationship and this is where you learn all that. The transferrable skills are so important out here.”
Below is what the nominator said about Tessier.
Coach Bernie Tessier has made significant contributions to the overall football development in Canada for over 30 years. As a standout high school football player in the Windsor region, coach Tessier was recruited by Western University. Coach Tessier won the Vanier Cup in 1994 and was named team captain in 1997. At the completion of his university career, coach Tessier continued his football journey as a high school and minor football league coach in the Niagara region. Coach Tessier was among the major contributors of building youth football in the Niagara region. He helped launch the Niagara Minor football Association in 1999, what was then known as the Dirty Dozen. In addition to coaching youth football in the early 2000s, coach Tessier made his mark as a high school football coach with Lakeshore Catholic High School. In 2008, coach Tessier was the defensive coordinator at Lakeshore Catholic that won the Golden Horseshoe Bowl under the leadership of Rocky DiPietro. In 2009 and 2010, Lakeshore made appearances in the Golden Horseshoe Bowl but lost. In 2012, coach Tessier took over the team as head coach and won his own Golden Horseshoe Bowl as the head coach. Several years have past since 2012 and Coach Tessier is still heavily involved with football in the Port Colborne community. His dedication to his athletes and his coaching staff cannot be overstated. Coach Tessier is involved with all aspect of Lakeshore Catholic football program. He is responsible for fundraising initiatives, offseason training and overall direction of the program. Coach Tessier has even invested time into coaching with the Niagara Spears organization in 2022. Coach Tessier’s commitment to the health of Niagara football should also be noted. He has always cooperated and helped out other organizations such as the Spears when they were in need of football equipment. Making football accessible for all athletes is a goal of coach Tessier. Coach Tessier is incredibly respected in the Niagara community for all his selfless and tireless work. He is the perfect candidate for the Rocky DiPietro Builder’s Award.
In addition to Tessier’s award, Lakeshore player Devon Dulmage was one of three winners of the Made In The Hammer Award, an award which embodies Hamilton Sports Group and Stelco’s values of commitment, leadership, community service, sportsmanship and a heart of steel. Dulmage receives a $2,000 bursary.
Below is what the nominator said about Dulmage.
Devon Dulmage is a Grade 12 returnee at Lakeshore Catholic High School. Devon is a natural leader for the senior football team at Lakeshore. His contributions on the football field are key to all of our success as a team. Devon plays offence, defence and special teams. Devon leads by example and focuses on positivity even in challenging football seasons. Devon is reliable as a team leader; he provides useful and positive feedback to his teammates. Devon goes above and beyond the normal responsibilities of a team captain. Devon does whatever that is required of him to help the team. He was a key member of our fundraising initiatives such as selling popcorn, cakepops, and Krispy Kreme donuts. For a period of time, Devon gave up his lunch time to help ensure that these fundraising initiatives got done. Devon also leads team workout during our offseason training program. His level of caring and attention to details is infectious and motivates other players to do the same. Devon is also a positive role model for the rest of his teammates as he is a high achieving academic student. Devon exemplifies all the attributes of Made in the Hammer.
Both awards will be presented tonight at a banquet at Tim Hortons field.
