Canadian Head Coaches

Glad to see Bob Dyce getting a real chance at head coach. Canadian football is in his blood. I wish him well. Wally Buono is another coach I think of as growing up on 3 down football but thanks to a large, well known search engine I just found out he had an American college career. Maciocia is an interesting case. Any others?

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BC Lions :claw: Head Coach Rick Campbell is Canadian :canada:

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Citizenship is different: He had huge U.S. influence.

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as is his offensive coordinator Jordan Maksymic

OMG we need a coaches ratio :roll_eyes:

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Lol. Just wondering if a 3 down background can/has made a significant difference in head coaching in the CFL

I can’t believe I even have to add this guy to the initial list, but, Mike O’Shea. All he’s done is build a better and more competitive team each and every year he’s coached and he’s lead the Bombers to the last 3 Grey Cups, winning two. Easily overlooked in the West I guess :rofl:

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Thank you, not overlooked - just not recalled after reading the Bob Dyce story on TSN - the reason I started the post. O’Shea’s success is a good argument for success growing up in CA football and CFL coaching success.

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I seem to recall that he lived in Canada MANY formative years in Canada while his father played, coached and managed in the CFL, starting when Rick was seven or so. I think that would have had a big influence on him. Aside from three years as a graduate assistant at Oregon his entire work experience has been in Canada. Finally, hes CHOSE to seek Canadian citizenship. I would hope that all that would more than qualify him as a Canadian.

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4 Down background would help too, considering most players came out of the NCAA/NFL. But the majority of CFL coaches never coached or knew 3 down football before coming to Canada.
It doesn’t matter at all, their job is to coach players.

I remember Greg Marshal in Hamilton, good Coach out of Western I think but fired after a couple of seasons.

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Very good. It’s also why he remembers the neighbors band practising next door on Saturdays, when Hugh and the family went shopping. Can’t fault Billy Gibbons, Dusty Rhodes, and Frank Beard on their being respectful of the neighbors.

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Marshall took over a 1 & 17 record Ron Lancaster led Ticat team and got them above .500 the next season. Fired into his 3rd season after losing records though. Not going to get repeat CFL shots like all the Chris Jones, Jason Maas, Scotty M types do; wrong passport - that is hard to get hired for a significant CFL coaching gig with in the first place.

Lots of understanding of & inexperience in the Canadian game just might help some coaches succeed - but maybe that’s a bit too logical; maybe relating to the star players and massaging their egos is more key nowdays ?

Don’t know if he even applied to come back to the CFL, he’s probably earning good money as the HC of Western.
As for passports, I don’t think it’s counted at all, there are just a lot of coaches out there with tons of experience that have coached at a much higher level than the CIS.
These ex-NCAA coaches have a full time job, the players are training/practicing 12 months a year. The CIS coaches are working from August to October with players that could never make it to the NCAA level
Guys like O’Shea are the exception, few and far between.

I suppose. If I follow - So players like Henoc Muamba, Andrew Harris or Kurleigh Gittens could have never made it to NCAA level, and Canadian coaches in the Canadian football system have to make do with such lesser players, and thus can’t build up coaching smarts ?

And guys like Greg Marshall who have secure, good paying jobs coaching in U Sports ball might have no interest in trying the CFL, where a HC, OC or DC can be fired in short order after some losses. They won’t get the CFL offers anyways with the wrong passport.

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I played football with Jim Daley on the Ottawa Sooners in 1973. He went on to a long coaching career in the CFL, including Head Coach in Winnipeg. Marcel Bellefeuille was also an HC in the CFL.

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Two words to illustrate the value of 4 down experience without any 3 down experience: MIKE SHERMAN.

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