Nick Kawaza was one of the most successful coaches in the history of the BC Football Conference (BCFC).
Rom 1981 to 1987, Nick coached the Surrey Rams Juvenile team, winning the BC championship in 1987 in what was the last year of Juvenile Football in BC.
From 1988 to 1998, he was part of the Surrey Rams Junior Team– primarily as head coach – and then also coached the Tri-City Bulldogs from 1999-2002. In his 14 total seasons coaching junior football, he compiled 82 wins, good for second most in the BCFC history.
His teams also had tremendous playoff success, posting a record of 10-3, capturing the BC championship (Cullen Cup) on four occasions, as well as a Canadian Bowl national title in 1992 with the Rams.
Nick captured the Gord Currie CJFL Coach of the Year award twice – 1992 with the Rams and 2001 with the Bulldogs. He was named to the 50-year BCFC Dream Team in 1997.
Nick went on to coach at other levels of football as well, including at Simon Fraser University (2003 to 2006) as an assistant coach, as an assistant coach guiding the North Surrey Midget Bears to a BC championship in 2006, and in high school football as head coach with Seaquam (2014 to 2016). After Seaquam, he would continue his high school coaching career with Lord Tweedsmuir (2017 to 2024).
Outside of coaching, Nick served on the board of directors of the BCFC for several seasons, as well as vice-president of Football BC where he oversaw certification, the Senior Bowl, and Team BC. He was also vice-president of the Langley Rams from 2009 to 2013.
In 2019, Nick was the recipient of the Bob Ackles Award for Lifetime Achievement as part of the BC Lions’ Orange Helmet Awards.
As a player, Nick played for the Surrey Rams Junior Team from 1978 to 1980.
