May 10, 2017
Former Griffins star Drummond returns for coaching post
Jefferson Hagen / MacEwan Athletics
If you're aiming to instill a championship culture in your group, bringing in a member of the only national medal-winning MacEwan men's soccer squad in history is a prudent move.
Head coach Adam Loga announced Wednesday that the program has added Daniel Drummond as an assistant coach ahead of the 2017 season, their fourth in the Canada West conference.
If that name sounds familiar, it's because it is. Drummond was named MacEwan men's soccer player of the year for all three seasons he wore maroon, amassing 23 goals in 30 regular season games from 2006 to 2008, including scoring 10 times in 10 games to win the ACAC scoring title in his final season.
The Griffins were in the ACAC loop at the time, and, in 2006, with Drummond's help, they claimed the conference championship before finishing with a Canadian Colleges Athletics Association bronze medal — the only time the program has appeared on a national podium in their history.
"He is a winner," said Loga, who has known Drummond for a long time, being a couple of years behind him in provincial soccer programs as a youth.
"What we were looking for was a young, enthusiastic coach that's credible, has an education, has played at a high level and has been involved in school academies, so he can relate to the student athletes," Loga added. "He checks all those boxes."
Drummond was selected for the Canadian U18 squad as a youth before suiting up for the USL A-League Edmonton Aviators during their final season in 2004. After that, he launched into a successful post-secondary career with Concordia and MacEwan, garnering five ACAC all-star awards and an all-Canadian. He's currently the head instructor at Clover Bar Junior High Academy.
"His high-level play not only brings a ton of experience but brings so much empathy and relation to these guys," said Loga, who will head into his second season at the helm of a Griffins team looking to improve upon a 2-11-3 record in 2016.
Drummond will join Loga and fellow assistant coach Dan Steiner in travelling with the team during the 2017 season.
"Daniel brings a wealth of knowledge, so I'm sure he can fit in in any way shape or form," said Loga. "He's got the knowledge, he can give position training and he can help with the reserve side.
"He's going to be an intricate part in what we do moving forward."
