view . summer 2011
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After winning 23 national championships in 25
years, what still motivates the most successful
coach in Canadian university history?
“I get furious when I hear a recruit is going to another
school,” says Dennis Fairall, head coach of the University
of Windsor’s men’s and women’s track and field and cross
country teams.
It’s a rare glimpse into the fierce competitive streak lying
beneath his good-guy demeanor. The admission comes not long
after the Lancers recorded the most dominant performance
in Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS) track and field
history in Sherbrooke, Que. in March.
The Lancer women won the 2011 CIS title by a 55.5-point
margin and set a CIS record with 154.5 points, 40.5 more
than the mark set by the Lancers in 2010. The Windsor
men won by an 84-point spread. It was the 10th CIS title
for the women, eighth for the men and the fifth time both
teams have won in the same year — all CIS records.
Five CIS cross country titles (four men, one women)
during Fairall’s tenure means his program’s 23 national
championships surpasses the 21 won by University of
British Columbia swim coach Tom Johnson.
Despite winning 18 CIS Coach of the Year awards since
he started at UWindsor in 1985, Fairall, 57, deflects credit
to his student athletes and assistant coaches.
“It’s a coaching staff award. It’s not an individual award,”
Fairall said. “I have a great coaching staff with great experience,
but also some youth. It’s important to have that mixture.”
FAIRALL’S AMAZING 25 YEAR TRACK RECORD
By Dave Briggs BA ‘92
