| Profile | |||||||||||
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| Position | Quarterback | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (1937-05-22)May 22, 1937 (age 88) Hamilton, Ontario, Canada | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| University | Western Ontario | ||||||||||
| CFL draft | 1960: 1st round, 5th overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||
| 1960–1966 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | ||||||||||
| 1967–1968 | Edmonton Eskimos | ||||||||||
| 1969 | Toronto Argonauts | ||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||
| 1970–1974 | Western Mustangs (HC) | ||||||||||
| 1978–1980, 1984–1987 | York Yeomen (HC) | ||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
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| Career CFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Canadian Football Hall of Fame (Class of 2018) | |||||||||||
Frank Cosentino (born May 22, 1937) is a Canadian former professionalfootballquarterback in theCanadian Football League (CFL) and a formerhead coach inUniversity football. He played professionally for theHamilton Tiger-Cats,Edmonton Eskimos andToronto Argonauts for ten years where he was a two-timeGrey Cup champion, winning in1963 and1965. He was head coach of theWestern Mustangs football team for five years where he led the team to twoVanier Cup wins in1971 and1974 before completing his coaching career with theYork Yeomen.[1][2] Cosentino was inducted into theCanadian Football Hall of Fame in 2018.[1]
Born and raised inHamilton, he played baseball with Russ Jackson and Murray Oliver in the Hamilton Police Minor Baseball Association. He attracted offers from theCleveland Indians,Milwaukee Braves andKansas City Athletics. He played Junior and senior intercounty baseball with Hamilton teams. He was also a noted fastball pitcher and played basketball through his years atCathedral High School and one year with theUniversity of Western Ontario Mustangs basketball team. His football career began with the Hamilton Old Boys Football Association and later as a quarterback at Cathedral High School in 1954. The League championship was won in 1954; the team went to the Red Feather game in 1955 and were league finalists that year.
Cosentino had offers from universities in Canada and the United States but decided on theUniversity of Western Ontario where he graduated in Honours Business Administration in 1960. While at Western, he played four season with theMustangs, winningYates Cup championships in 1957 and 1959. His last game with Western was as Captain and quarterback in the inaugural Canadian Intercollegiate championship contest versusUBC Thunderbirds, a 34–12 win for Western.
Cosentino was drafted fifth overall in the first found in the1960 CFL draft by theHamilton Tiger-Cats.[3] He was with Hamilton from 1960 to 1966 where he was primarily a backup behindBernie Faloney and laterJoe Zuger.[4] He played in fiveGrey Cup games, winning championships in1963 and1965.[1] Following the emergence of Zuger as the team's starter, Cosentino was traded to theEdmonton Eskimos in 1967, where he became the team's starter and was their nominee for theCFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award.[4] He had a reduced role with Edmonton in 1968 and then joined theToronto Argonauts for the1969 season. His year with Toronto was stifled by whatLeo Cahill called "an act of God" whenOttawa andRuss Jackson erased an 8-point Toronto lead to defeat the Argos, represent the East, and win the1969 Grey Cup game. He finished his career after the 1969 season, playing in 141 regular season games and starting in 41, posting 20 wins, 19 losses, and two ties in that span. He completed 482 passes out of 996 attempts for 7,678 passing yards with 53 touchdowns and 66 interceptions.[5]
While playing in the CFL, Cosentino continued his education after having graduated from Western in 1960 with an HBA. He acquired a Bachelor of Physical Health & Education (BPHE) degree atMcMaster University in 1967, a master's from theUniversity of Alberta in 1969, followed by a PhD from Alberta in 1973.[1] In 1970, he succeededJohn P. Metras as coach of the Mustangs.[6] During six years of teaching, including five of coaching at the University of Western Ontario, his teams won theVanier Cup in 1971 and 1974. From 1976 through 1981 he served atYork University inToronto as professor and chair of Physical Education and Athletics and also coached for seven more years. He retired from the university in 1997. Cosentino is also known for authoring eighteen books, three of which are on Canadian football, mostly on the history of sport in Canada.[1] He is a member of Halls of Fame at McMaster, York, Western,Ontario University Athletics and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.[7]
Cosentino lives inEganville, Ontario, with his wife Sheila. They have four children, twelve grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren.[7]
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