Frank Cosentino is a celebrated Hamiltonian and a prominent figure in Hamilton sports history, renowned for his achievements both as a professional football player and as an academic. Born on May 22, 1937, in Hamilton, Ontario, Cosentino’s athletic career began at Cathedral High School as a multi-sport athlete playing baseball and football. Frank went on to attend the University of Western Ontario, where he flourished as a quarterback.
Drafted in the first round of the 1960 CFL Draft by his hometown Tiger-Cats, Cosentino’s professional football career spanned from 1960 to 1972, during which he played for several Canadian Football League (CFL) teams, including the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Edmonton Eskimos and Toronto Argonauts. He won two Grey Cup championships with the Tiger-Cats in 1963 and 1965, establishing himself as a skilled and strategic quarterback.
As head coach at the University of Western Ontario from 1970 to 1974, he led the Mustangs to Vanier Cup championships in 1971 and 1974, winning nine of 10 playoff games during his tenure at Western. Moving on to York University in 1978, Cosentino inherited a team that had not won a game in two years and led them to three consecutive seasons of .500 or better, winning the inaugural OUAA Coach of the Year award in 1978. Cosentino led York to its first two post-season appearances in 1984 and 1985.
Cosentino also authored 17 books on the history of sports in Canada, including three on the history of the Grey Cup and some of the teams that have competed. Frank is also a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame (2018), York University Sports Hall of Fame (2017), Western University Sports Hall of Fame (1982) and is a member of the OUA Hall of Fame.