Antigonish, NS— X-Men football head coach Gary Waterman is pleased to announce the appointment of Robert (Bob) Mullen as StFX’s new defensive coordinator.
“I am extremely happy to welcome Bob as our new defensive coordinator,” comments Coach Waterman. “In fact, there may not be a more important recruit that we get this off-season. Bob is a proven winner with over 40 years of coaching and playing experience. He is a master tactician and a true gentleman. The StFX football program got better today.”
Mullen has been the defensive coordinator of the Kingston Grenadiers football team in the Ontario Varsity Football League (OVFL) for the past five years. He had the first ranked scoring defense in the OVFL varsity division in 2012, and in 2011 he was named the OVFL coach of the year. Bob also had head coaching duties at the Loyalist Collegiate & Vocational Institute in Kingston, ON from 2004-08 when he helped resuscitate the football program. Mullen currently teaches and is an assistant vice principal at the school, where he has been a long-time educator.
A native of Peterborough, ON, Mullen has been in Kingston since he played as a quarterback and defensive back at Queen’s University where he was a member of their 1978 Vanier Cup championship team. He went on to coach with the Queen’s Gaels for 12 seasons from 1988-2000. As their defensive coordinator, Bob was a part of four conference titles, two national semi-final appearances, and he led a defense that recorded the only shutout victory in Vanier Cup history in 1992 with a 31-0 win over Saint Mary’s. While with Queen’s, Bob gained the reputation as one of the finest defensive strategists in the country.
In 1993, Mullen won the national Gino Fracas award as the outstanding volunteer assistant coach in the CIS. He was inducted into the Queen’s University coaches hall of fame in 2003, and in 2012 was inducted Queen’s University football hall of fame as a builder.
“I am thrilled and thankful for the opportunity that Gary [Waterman], and St. Francis Xavier University has extended to me,” says Mullen. “As an educator I am well aware of the high regard with which StFX is held as an academic institution. As a coach, I am proud to join Gary's staff and I look forward to meeting the rest of the coaching staff and of course our student-athletes. I believe we are about to begin a special journey together.”
Coach Mullen will be visiting the StFX campus this coming weekend and will begin his duties effective immediately. Until the academic school year concludes he will remain located in Kingston, ON.
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