Over our 50-year history, London Minor Lacrosse has developed a number of world-class athletes and is thankful for the thousands of volunteer coaches who have headed up our teams over the years. We would like to highlight two of our current coaches who are giving back to the sport in which they’ve excelled.
Jeremy Tallevi
Jeremy Tallevi started his coaching career with London Minor Lacrosse in 1999. That Midget team produced Blue Devil alumni and National Lacrosse League (NLL) veterans Mike and Scott Carnegie (Calgary Roughnecks). London is fortunate to have Jeremy Tallevi among its current coaching staff in the Paperweight division, which includes his 4-year-old son Logan. Tallevi says it’s extremely rewarding to see how quickly the young players learn and improve. The Blue Devils are fielding their first-ever competitive Paperweight team this season, with an all-star bench staff that also includes former Toronto Rock Jon Low.
Tallevi’s experience behind the bench is impressive. He has coached the Western Mustangs men’s field lacrosse team since 2002, and was twice recognized as Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association Coach of the Year (2005, 2011). As a box lacrosse coach, his resume includes positions as defensive coach with NLL teams in Anaheim (2005), Portland (2006-2008), and Edmonton (2010-2011). He is currently at the helm of the Southwest Cyclops of the Canadian Lacrosse League (CLax) as General Manager and Head Coach. His greatest accomplishment is winning the national championship Founder’s Cup in 2001 with the Wallaceburg Junior B Red Devils.
Drew Candy
When Drew Candy first became a London Blue Devil at age 11, he knew very little about the sport of lacrosse. But he now returns to the London program after a successful professional lacrosse career. After only a few seasons of minor lacrosse, Drew was drafted to play Junior A in Mississauga where he spent five seasons before heading west to join the Coquitlam Adanacs. It was there that he won the Mann Cup (2001) before moving back to Ontario to begin his NLL career. A tough defensemen, he won the 2002 Champions’ Cup in his rookie year with the Toronto Rock. Six more years of professional lacrosse followed, including seasons in Philadelphia, Buffalo and Chicago.
Now back in the London area, Candy is assisting his brothers and coaching his nephews on the Blue Devil Novice 2 and Bantam 2 teams (his daughter prefers horses!). He loves helping out and admits that it has made him miss the game, which has taken a back seat to work in recent years. According to Candy, the game itself has changed very little since he began playing, although he notes that the stick skills of today’s youngsters are ‘unbelievable!’ This summer, Drew is running a summer lacrosse camp in the Bayfield area to help promote the sport.
Lacrosse has definitely grown in popularity, and with pros such as Candy and Tallevi giving back in minor associations across Ontario, the sport has a bright future! Candy’s advice to young lacrosse players dreaming of an NLL career is simple: “Always have your stick in your hand and just stay with it!”
Story and photos submitted by: London Minor Lacrosse Association
