Dexter Janke (born October 4, 1992) is a Canadian football coach who is currently the

defensive Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

and special teams coordinator for the Westshore Rebels of the

Canadian Junior Football League The Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) is a national Major Junior Canadian football league consisting of 19 teams playing in five provinces across Canada. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl. Many CJFL players move on to profess ...

(CJFL). He played professionally as a

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

for four years in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Calgary Stampeders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the latter of which he won a

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...

title with in

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

. He previously played amateur football for the Okanagan Sun and attended the University of Saskatchewan, where he played for the

Saskatchewan Huskies The University of Saskatchewan began in 1907 and has operated teams that compete with others since 1911. The term Huskie Athletics is defined as those student athletes from the University of Saskatchewan that compete in elite interuniversity ...

as a running back.

Early career

Janke played high school football at

Austin O'Brien Catholic High School Austin O'Brien (AOB) is a high school located in the Ottewell community of southeast Edmonton. It has about 1000 students. Namesake Austin O'Brien was named after Sir Austin O'Brien, the superintendent of Edmonton Catholic Schools from 1924 ...

for three years as a running back. As a junior, he suffered a torn ACL. Janke made it to the city championships in his final year with the team, but he again tore his ACL in the championship game. He received an offer from the University of Calgary to play

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the Calgary Dinos as both a running back and defensive back, but elected to play solely as a running back for the Saskatchewan Huskies instead. As a result of his second ACL injury, Janke sat out the 2010 season as a redshirt. In 2011, he rushed for 307 yards and four touchdowns, but Janke was sidelined again the following year with a third ACL injury to the same knee. His third reconstructive knee surgery was successful, and he returned to the Huskies in 2013. In 2013, his final year with the Huskies, Janke rushed for 423 yards and four touchdowns. Janke left the Huskies and joined the Okanagan Sun of the

in 2014. While switching teams, he also switched to the defensive back position. In his only season with Okanagan, Janke recorded 14 tackles, three interceptions, and a fumble recovery while playing in eight games. He also played as a kick and

punt returner A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another position ...

, averaging 32.9 yards per kick return and 8.3 yards per punt return.

Professional career

Calgary Stampeders

At the regional CFL Combine in Edmonton, Janke had the second-fastest 40-yard dash time at 4.57 seconds. He earned an invitation to the national combine in Toronto, where he recorded the fastest shuttle time among defensive backs at 4.25 seconds. Janke was selected in the fifth round of the

2015 CFL Draft The 2015 CFL Draft took place on Tuesday, May 12, 2015, at 8:00 PM ET on TSN2 and RDS2. 62 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA. For the fi ...

by the Calgary Stampeders with the 44th overall pick. After beginning the season on the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

, Janke made his CFL debut on July 24, 2015, against the Ottawa Redblacks, where he played primarily on special teams. In the August 1 game against the Montreal Alouettes, he recorded his first tackle, finishing with two special-teams tackles. He was released by the Stampeders on May 4, 2018.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

On February 7, 2019, Janke signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He was released on January 30, 2020.

Coaching career

On March 9, 2020, it was announced that Janke had been hired as the

and special teams coordinator for the Westshore Rebels of the CJFL.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Janke, Dexter 1992 births Living people Canadian football running backs Canadian football defensive backs Canadian football return specialists Saskatchewan Huskies football players Canadian Junior Football League players Calgary Stampeders players Players of Canadian football from Alberta Sportspeople from Edmonton Winnipeg Blue Bombers players