Video Story:
Head Coach Dexter Janke speaks on the importance of meaningful relationships when building and sustaining a winning culture. Players and captains Sterling May and Kirill Niari educate us on the importance of what it means to be a York Lion. Special Teams Coordinator Eli Haynes gives us a update on what’s new and what’s to come for York Football!
Photography and Video Credits: Shayne Phillips ,Digital and Social Media Representative- York University
Music Soundtrack: “Lion” – Saint Mesa
Informative Story
A new era began in 2024 when the York Lions football program at York University hired its head coach, Dexter Janke. Janke’s vision has and is to change the culture of the team, instill a winning mentality, and develop champions on and off the field. Once a program struggling to gain traction Ontario University Athletics (OUA), York University’s football team began to transform under Janke’s leadership. Janke took and continues to take bold steps to reset the standard. He overhauled the coaching staff, adding specialists such as Special Teams Coordinator Eli Haynes, and strategically brought in new athletes, including experienced transfers from USPORT programs and the Canadian Junior Football League, to strengthen the roster. The moves have not only injected energy to the team but added credibility to a team that was long defined by losing seasons. As York prepares for its 2025 season, the Lions stand at the threshold of possibility, including three of their players highlighted as CFL draft picks. Janke’s actions have laid the groundwork for the 2025 season and to continue to cultivate a team capable of competing at a higher level and maintaining sustained success.
- Building the Pride
For years prior to Janke’s arrival, the York Lion football team and its program had been more defined by their losing streak rather than their success. Since joining OUA in 1968, York football found itself at the bottom of standings, managing only a handful of winnings over a long five decades. York University. York University Athletics. (n.d.). https://yorkulions.ca/sports/football/opponent-history. The York football program’s losses outweighed its wins with only three winning games since 2002. York University. York University Athletics. (n.d.). https://yorkulions.ca/sports/football/opponent-history. Even traditional rivalry games, such as the Red and Blue bowl against Toronto ended in disappointment. This long stretch of losses not only instilled frustration, but eroded the players’ confidence, created frequent turnover in coaching staff, and ultimately left the program looking for a leader who could not only rebuild the team, but the belief within the team and restore the pride.
In 2024, however, the York Lions had a dramatic shift with Janke taking over. Janke is a former CFL defensive player and Olympic athlete that brings an extremely professional standard to not only practices but to meetings and self-presentation—demanding intensity and integrity in his team and the athletes that its composed of. Dexter Janke. CFL.ca. (2020, January 30). https://www.cfl.ca/players/dexter-janke/161516/. Janke quickly reshaped the York Lion team with a leadership style rooted in accountability, discipline, and self-empowerment. Janke emphasizes culture to his players as a seminal strategy to off and on the field wins. Under Janke, the Lions have shown renewed energy, a new competitive spirit, and a belief that York can, in fact, be a legitimate contender in OUA as shown by their first win of the 2025 season. York University Athletics. (2025, August 23). Lions march past McMaster in opening week of OUA season. https://yorkulions.ca/news/2025/8/23/football-lions-march-past-mcmaster-in-opening-week-of-oua-season.aspx.
- What’s Ahead
On the road ahead, the Lions appear poised for greatness. Janke not only has the four 2025-26 CFL draft prospects fresh off a victorious East-West Bowl—Brody Clark, Peyton Ryder, Kirill Niari, and Melchis Ilunga—but combined two emerging star freshman and the 2024 CFL draft pick transfer, Keagan Hall. University of Waterloo to host 2025 East-West Bowl. U SPORTS – English. (2025, April 7). https://en.usports.ca/sports/fball/2024-25/releases/2025EWBOWL. This talent, alone, positions the Lions to compete at a higher level and showcase Janke’s vision of building a championship team.
- Conclusion
With a renewed culture, talented roster, and Janke’s disciplined leadership, the York Lions are no longer just an underdog team—they are serious contenders in the OUA. As the program continues to develop these athletes, the coming season shows primes to define a new era for York football.