I have written a book entitled A Hero’s Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp. Based on the teachings of philosopher Joseph Campbell, the basic premise of the book is that we are all heroes of our own journey. I am now taking the lessons of “a hero’s journey” from Campbell and applying them to local Burlington heroes. The term hero calls to mind anyone who has gone through a journey to make a life for themselves and uses their skills, experience, and talents to impact others and ultimately make the world a better place.
People like Ted Goveia.
The twelfth step in Campbell’s Hero’s Journey is “The Return.” The journey takes the hero away from their known world on a chosen path where they gather experiences and knowledge so that someday they may return to where they started to share this newfound knowledge for the good of future generations. This describes the path that Ted Goveia, the new (as of Dec. 5, 2024) General Manager of the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats, has followed.
Did you know that for Ted, that journey started in Burlington? Ted played football at Burlington’s Assumption Catholic Secondary School, watched the Cats whenever he could, then went down east to play during university. Ted got into coaching at a very young age, honed his craft and his connections by attending every camp and clinic possible. He has coached and scouted literally from coast to coast in Canada, and became one of Canada’s best evaluators of talent.
All that has led him to the position of GM for the team that he grew up cheering for at Ivor Wynne Stadium. In fact, Ted’s mom has been a lifetime fan of the Gold and Black, watching most games, and wasn’t too keen when Ted took his first CFL job with the Toronto Argonauts, of all teams. A mother’s love!
I had the good fortune to meet Ted in 2001. I was teaching at Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School, at the time a school filled with high-level athletes who had post-secondary scouts spending a lot of time recruiting them. Actually, two Burlington schools, Notre Dame and Nelson, reached provincial-level success in both football and basketball, and university scouts throughout the OUA were in attendance at most games.
Scouts like Ted Goveia.
Goveia in 2001 was McMaster’s special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator. And what a recruiter he was. Goveia was working in his first full-time coaching job, working with the running backs for a year and then the receivers for two more, but he was also finding a niche in the recruiting part of the business. You want winning players? Ted will find them, and they’ll be quality people too. Recruiting quality people is a pillar of Ted’s philosophy. Between 2001 and 2004 Goveia recruited 36 OUA All-Stars and 15 All-Canadian players. These Goveia-recruited high-level athletes changed the landscape of football on campus and Mac went on to win three straight Yates Cups (OUA) Championships, including 33 consecutive wins. Goveia knew recruiting. All it takes is relentless energy and a lot of connections, both of which Goveia has.
But Goveia’s journey begins long before that.
He joined the Burlington Minor Football Association at a young age and he fell in love with football but it was his time at Assumption that may have changed the direction of his life.
“Sport had always been a big part of my life. I always enjoyed being on a team, but my time at Assumption was crucial in my development and growth as a person. I was struggling at the time — trying to figure life out, and the coaches who worked with us at Assumption High School made the game fun and had a significant impact on not only myself but several of the guys on our team. We learned a lot of lessons on the gridiron. Our head coach was Mike Harris — he taught us the value of teamwork, of taking pride in our school, and, most of all, to never give up.”
“Football was an outlet for me — and really, I would never be in the position I am today if was not for the coaches and volunteers that worked with us. I am forever grateful for these fantastic role models. I then played for the Burlington Braves of the CJFL [Canadian Junior Football League], where I got better competition and quality coaching that helped prepare me for university football.”
Goveia took his talents to Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, where he played for three years before fate got in the way and helped shape his journey. An injury ended his playing days, so Ted did the next best thing: he started coaching. He was not much older than some of the players on the team, and he loved it. He became offensive coordinator for two years. His years at Mount A taught Goveia a lot about the passion and commitment it takes to be successful. A journey he thought possible from his days and role models at Assumption was now right before his eyes. He loved coaching and was also developing a knack for recruiting and was named recruiting coordinator in 1997.
“When something is your passion, like coaching, you put everything into it and it’s the process that motivates you because the results will take care of themselves. Good daily habits will lead to the desired results. It’s not the scoreboard as much as it’s about growth and the meeting of expectations. I love being a part of that. At Mount Allison, I barely made any money coaching, but I loved it. To help pay the bills, I worked at the campus pub and delivered pizza. My time at Mount Allison was key to my growth — going to a small school, you have less resources. You find a way to make the best of whatever it is you’ve got. That’s a skill. To me, it was not about the money. Do a good job and the rewards will come, both individually and as a program on the field.”
Goveia was hooked.
“I fell in love with coaching at a young age and thought it was a great avenue for helping people. I enjoyed the schemes, the strategy, and building teams. I can honestly say that regardless of level, position, or title, my joy in the sport has always been the same. I just wanted to do a great job for the people who trusted me to do the job. Even when I was making peanuts, I still loved it, no matter the level. “
The journey wasn’t a straight line.
Goveia spent a decade trying to find a full-time job. He took over the reins of the Burlington Braves junior football team from 1998 to 2000. A big part of the reality of coaching is the impact of the connections you make along your journey. Goveia attended camps and clinics, making himself available but also making himself known. He was a training camp guest coach for the Toronto Argonauts for 8 years, showing a willingness to work hard and an ability to create a winning environment. He learned that in pro sports winning consistently usually leads to other opportunities. Goveia kept quietly doing his best and people were noticing.
The path was just getting started. After his success at McMaster, a job and university he loved, an opportunity on the other side of the country came his way. In 2005, Goveia joined the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds as the offensive coordinator and was promoted to head coach in 2006, where he stayed until 2009.
“UBC was an opportunity for me to learn about the country, live in Vancouver, and grow from experiences. I learned a lot from all my stops on the journey. Each stop was different. Each university was different, and the support was not equal. It made me realize that the support you receive and the people you work for you make a difference in the job.”
While pursuing a coaching and recruiting career at the USports level, he kept his hand in the pros, working those training camps for the Argos. That commitment paid off in 2010 when the Argos hired Goveia as running backs coach. He was named director of Canadian scouting in 2011, and the Argos won the Grey Cup in 2012. He was rewarded by being named Argonaut director of player personnel in 2013.
At that time, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers had been struggling in recent years and knew they had to upgrade their talent, so they had to upgrade their talent evaluation. In December of 2013, Goveia was hired by the Bombers as assistant general manager and director of player personnel. Ted helped turn the team around and by 2016, the Blue Bombers were 11-7, making the playoffs. They have been in the playoffs every year since, having been to the last five Grey Cup Games, winning two. Goveia was promoted to senior assistant general manager and director of player personnel following the 2019 Grey Cup victory. In his 10-year experience with the Bombers, Goveia was heavily involved in all aspects of shaping the scouting department, including both Canadian and U.S. scouting efforts, free agency, and contract negotiations. As he says, work hard and the rewards will come.
That’s the journey. And now the Return. The hometown TiCats came calling. It’s a position and a group of professionals that he is excited to join.
“The Tiger-Cats have a long history in our community. I am familiar with many of the greats that I watched play growing up, so while every job that I have had mattered to me, this one certainly tops the list. The opportunity to be the GM of a team I grew up watching is a dream — I am excited to be working in this community once again.”
When Goveia reflects on his decades-long journey, he sees a lot of life lessons he shares with others.
“When I started coaching, the only real career plan I had was to do a great job, no matter how small the job. I worked every football camp I could, I watched every coaching video, and read every book to continue to learn about the game. I spent the off-seasons trying to improve my knowledge and I was always looking for a way to improve. I am still wired like this today — life is about growth, and I embrace that daily. I just made up my mind at a young age that this is what I was going to do — I stayed the course regardless of setbacks. I’ve enjoyed every stop in my journey and now here I am. Home.”
Goveia sees the challenge ahead as being of two connected parts. Build the football team and help grow the sport. He’s been hired to improve the football team, and he knows that the process will reap the rewards. As he points out, no one saw the pain in Winnipeg before the five Grey Cup appearances.
“Winning comes through scouting, managing the salary cap, hiring the right people, free agency [starts Feb. 11] the draft, and trades. It’s an awesome and all-encompassing process.”
And building a winning team in Goveia’s eyes will take care of the second part of the job.
“If we can build a great football team with the right people, I believe this will have a positive impact on our community. I believe in the community-building power of sport. I see football as a transformational sport, and I hope to use this platform to help grow the game in our communities. A healthy community requires participation and commitment to developing our young people — football is just one avenue to build connection.”
Connections to get jobs, connections to help and inspire young people, connections to build community. Ted Goveia’s journey has brought success to the teams he’s been involved with, but he also has inspired and motivated hundreds of players to work hard and achieve on the field and in life. All those highly sought-after recruits who ended up at his schools did so because they knew they would be working with a professional of the highest level. Now he returns to lead the team that so many mothers and sons are cheering for together, like he and his mom a journey ago.
Hire the right people. Looks like the Hamilton Tiger-Cats did just that. Much success to Goveia and our beloved TiCats. OSKEEWEEWEE!
For more information on A Hero’s Journey: Beyond Little Norway and Olympia Sports Camp go to aherosjourney.ca. Copies are available at A Different Drummer Bookstore on Locust Street. A corresponding blog is at TuesdayswithDave.blogspot.com.
