Dexter Janke (born October 4, 1992) is a

Canadian football Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area ( ...

coach who is currently the defensive and

special teams coordinator In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

for the

Westshore Rebels The Westshore Rebels are a Canadian junior football team based in Langford, British Columbia. The Rebels play in the B.C. Football Conference, which itself is part of the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) and competes annually for the nation ...

of the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL). He played professionally as a defensive back for four years in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL) with the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-o ...

and

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fie ...

, the latter of which he won a Grey Cup 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 The Okanagan Sun are a Canadian Junior Football team based in Kelowna, British Columbia. The Sun play in the seven-team B.C. Football Conference, which itself is part of the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) and competes annually for the ...

and attended the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

, where he played for the Saskatchewan Huskies as a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

Early career

Janke played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

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 to ...

for three years as a running back. As a junior, he suffered a

torn ACL An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during inju ...

. 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 The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...

to play college football for the

Calgary Dinos The Calgary Dinos are the athletic teams that represent the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. They were known as the "Dinosaurs" but usually referred to as the "Dinos" until 1999, when the name was officially shortened. Some of its venue ...

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 Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after ...

. In 2011, he rushed for 307 yards and four

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

s, 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 Canadian Junior Football League in 2014. While switching teams, he also switched to the defensive back position. In his only season with Okanagan, Janke recorded 14 tackles, three

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team ...

s, and a

fumble recovery A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

while playing in eight games. He also played as a

kick A kick is a physical Strike (attack), strike using the leg, in unison usually with an area of the knee or lower using the foot, heel, tibia (shin), ball of the foot, blade of the foot, toes or knee (the latter is also known as a knee (strike), ...

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

Professional career

Calgary Stampeders

At the regional

CFL Combine The CFL Combine (formerly known as the Evaluation Camp or E-Camp) is a three-day program in which athletes from Canadian universities and Canadians in the NCAA are scouted by general managers, coaches and scouts of the Canadian Football League (C ...

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, Janke made his CFL debut on July 24, 2015, against the

Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) (French: Le Rouge et Noir d'Ottawa) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Starting ...

, where he played primarily on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

. In the August 1 game against the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the East Division of the Canad ...

, 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

. He was released on January 30, 2020.

Coaching career

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

for the

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