After graduation, Waterman moved back to his hometown of Mississauga where he became a high school teacher for Father Michael Goetz Secondary School.[4] While teaching there, he coached football, basketball, and track and field.[1] He served as a guest coach in 2004 and 2005 for the St. Francis Xavier X-Men football team and was offered a role as the defensive coordinator in 2006. After serving as the team's defensive coordinator for three years, he was named the X-Men's head coach on January 16, 2009 and became the first St. Francis Xavier alumni to be named the team's head coach.[1][5] While he had 6–2 record and Loney Bowl appearance in his first year in 2009, the team only qualified for the playoffs once in the next four years.
After a return to the playoffs in 2014, Waterman and the X-Men ended a 19-year drought by finishing the 2015 season as Loney Bowl champions in a 14–12 win over the Mount Allison Mounties.[6] He was named the AUS Coach of the Year in 2015.[7] In 2016, the X-Men ended another 19-year drought by finishing the regular season in first place for the first time since 1997, along with capturing their second consecutive AUS title.[8] Waterman was again named the AUS Coach of the Year in 2016, although the team regressed to a third-place finish in 2017. In 2018, the team finished once again as Loney Bowl champions and Waterman won his third AUS Coach of the Year award.[7] In 2019, the team finished in last place in the AUS standings and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2013. However, following the cancelled 2020 season, Waterman led the X-Men to an undefeated record as he won his fourth Loney Bowl title in 2021.[9] The team repeated as champions in 2022 with Waterman winning his fifth Loney Bowl title and being named the U Sports Coach of the Year for the first time in his career.[3][10]
Personal life
Waterman currently resides in Antigonish, Nova Scotia with his wife, Andrea. They have four children and one grandchild.[11]