KINGSTON, Ont. (April 24, 2013) - Queen's Football Head Coach Pat Sheahan together with the Queen's Football Club (QFC) are pleased to announce the additions of Ryan Sheahan (Montreal) and Grant  Schelske (Keewatin, Ont.) as Assistant Coaches for the Gaels.

The two have previously played and coached with the Gaels football team and both were members of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL) coaching staff last year. Ryan will be taking on the role of Assistant Coach - Offensive Coordinator and Schelske will assume the position of Assistant Coach.

“Ryan is a new breed of football coach, someone who posseses a great recruiting sense and has computer savvy.  Ryan's offensive strong suit is analyzing opposing defenses and flushing out weaknesses. He is a great communicator and teacher who maintains a positive relationship with all the players. He has a year of pro football under his belt and it will be great to have him wearing tri-colour again,” commented Head Coach Pat Sheahan on Ryan re-joining the staff.  

“Grant is real go-getter whose work ethic is second to none. He was Mr. Hustle here during his playing career and he has worked hard to put himself into a coaching career. He also received rave reviews in Hamilton last season for his hard work and commitment to the Tiger-Cat program. He is very personable and bleeds Queen's. He will manage our video editing suite and contribute to several areas of coach including special teams. He is a great addition to the staff.”

Ryan is a native of Montreal, Quebec and graduated from Queen's with a BA in History. As a player, he suited up for the Gaels for four seasons from 2001 to 2004 playing quarterback and finished as the team's leading scorer in his final year. He served as the Offensive Coordinator for the Limestone Grenadiers in Kingston before going to to play professional football in Denmark for the Esbjerg Hurricanes in 2006 while also serving as an Assistant Coach for the Hurricanes.

Ryan Sheahan began his coaching tenure with the Gaels in 2008 where he served as the Assistant Offensive Coordinator - Quarterback Coach/Video Coordinator. A 2009 Vanier Cup National Champion and Yates Cup Provincial Champion, Ryan worked with Gaels quarterback Danny Brannagan who holds is the all-time Gaels leader in passing, completions and touchdowns. 

In 2012 Sheahan took a position with the Ti-Cats in the CFL as the Running Backs coach under Head Coach George Cortez. Ryan worked with Ti-Cat backs Avon Cobourne and Chevon Walker who averaged 5.9 and 5.6 yards per carry under his tutelage.

Ryan is the eldest son of Gaels head coach Pat Sheahan and his younger brother Devan has served as the teams Receivers Coach since 2011.

Schelske is a native of Keewatin, Ontario and graduated from Queen's with a BA in Film and Media Studies. He took to the gridiron for the better part of four seasons with the Gaels and was a member of the 2009 Vanier Cup National Champion and Yates Cup Provincial Champion team playing primarily as a running back in his career.

In 2011 he joined the Gaels coaching staff as the team's Video Coordinator and Offensive Assistant Coach. Working primarily with video, Schelske's duties included capturing and organizing game film for analysis and game strategy.

This then led Schelske to a position with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL where he served as the Defensive Assistant Coach/Assistant Defensive Backs Coach under Head Coach George Cortez. Schelske worked in various defensive capacities with the team including practice preperation, scouting, video analysis and game strategy.

The Queen's football Gaels open up their regular season on the road when they take on the York Lions on August 25. The Gaels then open up their home schedule on Monday September 2 against the McMaster Marauders at 2:00 p.m. at Richardson Stadium. To get your Gaels football tickets for the upcoming season click here.