Guest coach Carl Brennan at 2017 training camp (Photo by Angela Burger)
A certain familial atmosphere is a prime requisite in ticking off as many Vanier Cups as they have over the years at Laval University.
“When we were at Laval together,’’ reminisces Carl Brennan, watching Pierre Lavertu take his 6-foot-3, 298-lb. frame through some light post-practice drills in the northernmost McMahon Stadium end zone, “people were always saying I was his dad.
“Not really. But we had a good relationship. He was a very coachable kid.
“He wanted to learn. He wanted to get better. Those are the ones you can’t wait to teach. They’re so eager to improve.
“So it’s great to be here and see how much he’s evolved as a person and a player.
“His football knowledge, it’s off the charts right now, which is fun to see. He really understands what’s going on.”
Brennan is involved in this early summer’s Stampeders’ training camp as an O-line guest coach, allowing him to reconnect with Lavertu.
Brennan’s initial spell with the Rouge et Or football factory lasted from 1996 to 2003. He then moved on to the CFL for three stops before returning to the Quebec campus, and another run of unprecedented success, in 2008.
On three of the seven Vanier title teams he’s been a part of – 2010, ’12 and ’13 – Lavertu anchored the O-line.
“It’s great to see him,’’ enthuses Brennan’s old protégé. “Nice to have him around right now; a face from the coaching staff from Laval.
“My dad? They were just joking. But he liked the way I played. He helped me so much. I worked out at Laval in my first two off-seasons of pro and every time after my workout I’d go see him to chat. He knows so much about the position.
“I still talk with him every week.
“You see him, he’s here right now, trying to get better as a coach. The last two years he went to B.C. He’s always trying to learn new stuff.
“It’s a pro atmosphere there. They treat you that way. And it helps in getting ready for being here.”
In establishing a collegiate three-down football dynasty, the Rouge et Or have become justly renowned for churning out pro-calibre offensive lineman.
Lavertu, the first overall pick in the 2014 CFL Draft, has proven to be among the finest of the recent graduates, now beginning his fourth season with Calgary.
“That success,’’ says Brennan, “comes from the recruiting that coach Constantin does. And the tradition we have along the offensive line. We let them know how important it is to have good run and pass blocking to the success of our team. You let them know what’s expected.
“Then you have to get them into buy into what you’re doing. Usually, they do.”
If Brennan seems somehow vaguely familiar hereabouts (outside of fleeting glimpses caught on camera down the sideline beside Rouge et Or boss Constantin on various Vanier Cup afternoons), it’s perfectly understandable.
In 2004, he spent a season working at McMahon as part of then coach/GM Matt Dunigan’s Stampeder staff.
“That,’’ he says now, “was my first real full-time football coaching job. I was fortunate. Unfortunately, things change. The team was sold the year after and I had to move on somewhere else.
“It was a tough year (4-14) but I learned a lot about myself and about how professional football works.”
He glances around a virtually-deserted McMahon following a 9 a.m. workout. “The stadium hasn’t changed. The football offices weren’t here then, of course, and the dressing room’s different.
“But it’s nice to be back. There are lot of the same people around the stadium as when I was here. So it’s good. It’s good. I’m enjoying myself.”
From camp here, it’s back to Quebec City for Brennan to begin preparations for the upcoming season.
To try and add a 10th CIS title for the school.
And hopefully to start refining the next Pierre Lavertu.
“Obviously, you want the kids you coach, whether they make it to this level or not, to be successful,’’ says Brennan. “At whatever they choose to do. You want to see them to lead good lives, have a family, be happy.
“So it’s great to see all of these guys come they come back to see you, ‘Hey, how’s going?,’ this and that, and they tell you things are going great, that’s the important thing for us.
“Be it in professional football or in real life.”