Meet the RedBlacks!

Have you heard?  Henry Burris is a RedBlack!

I was curious as to whether he would appear at the Meet The RedBlacks event last night.  Obviously he had been in town for the announcement of his signing, but for all anyone knew he might have another commitment to honour.  But he was there and emerged from backstage to a standing ovation from the season ticket holders in attendance.

The Ottawa Sun covered the event (step it up, Citizen!) but I want to add to that for those who couldn't attend.  Scroll on down past the picture below, lifted from the team's Instagram account.

For starters, much like at the naming event, Mike Sutherland does a great job with these things.  He's clearly comfortable with a microphone and seems to make the person being interviewed comfortable as well.

League Commissioner Mark Cohon took the stage first to discuss the state of the league and its vision for the future.  That done, players were brought up individually and chatted for a few minutes.  Delroy Clarke was first, followed by Eric Fraser, Simon Le Marquand and Keith Shologan.  Shologan and Sutherland had a particularly entertaining back-and-forth.  The defensive tackle became a fan favourite immediately.

Thomas DeMarco followed, then Burris and Head Coach Rick Campbell. Cohon was brought back for the Q&A segment.  General Manager Marcel Desjardins was in attendance, though not on stage, but he still offered some information from time to time from his seat in the front row.  Team President Jeff Hunt eventually joined the group on stage when questions were ultimately being directed to him in the audience anyway.

A few details were revealed that I'm surprised The Sun didn't bother to report.  To whit:

• Carleton was confirmed as the location for training camp.  Hardly a shock in light of the ownership group's connection to the university.  There'll be a rookie camp at the end of May and "full" camp will begin June 1st.  One day will be spent on the Gatineau side.
• The schedule is ready and will be revealed early next week, in all likelihood. 
• The uniform will be revealed in April.  Mark Cohon seemed particularly impressed by them. 

Following the Q&A, the various team members took to tables in the back of the room to sign autographs, chat with fans, etc.  There were plenty of snacks and drinks available, a small merchandise table was set up and the Grey Cup was brought in for photo opportunities.

Another fine event hosted by the RedBlacks who continue to display the commitment and class that past owners have failed to demonstrate.  Already looking forward to the next one.

"RedBlacks Add Blugh"

At the time that the coaching staff was named, I noticed that there was no defensive line coach specified.  I assumed that one of the other assistants or coordinators would take care of the position (such as defensive coordinator Mark Nelson).

The RedBlacks pulled a surprising move today is announcing the hiring of Leroy Blugh to handle that position on the staff.  Man knows a thing or two about the position.  Read on.

OTTAWA - Leroy Blugh, a standout Canadian defensive lineman for 15 Canadian Football League seasons, has joined the Ottawa REDBLACKS as the team's defensive line coach. 

The 47-year-old Blugh, who grew up in Napanee, played with the Edmonton Eskimos (1989-2000) and the Toronto Argonauts (2001-2003) before becoming a coach. 

He was head coach at Bishop's from 2005-2010 and served as an assistant for two seasons with the Queen's Golden Gaels before joining the Eskimos for the 2013 season as Edmonton's tutor of the defensive line.   

"We're excited to welcome Leroy to our REDBLACKS family," said head coach Rick Campbell. "Leroy knows what it takes to play defensive line at a high level in the CFL. His extensive playing and coaching experience will be invaluable to our football team."   

Blugh hoisted the Grey Cup with the Eskimos in 1993, was a CFL West Division all-star in 1996 and 1998, and was named the league's outstanding Canadian in 1996.

How did he do as a coach?  Here's a portion of an article (found on cfl.ca) in regards to Blugh stepping down from that post.

Blugh, arguably the greatest Gaiter of all-time, was the Gaiters' head coach from 2005-10, and compiled a 19-30 regular-season record (19-33 overall). He presided over the resurgence of the Bishop's University football program and its return to national prominence. 

In 2007, Blugh was named QUFL Coach of the Year, as he led the Gaiters to a 5-3 record, their first winning record since 1995, and a tie for second place in the league.

That record is not great, granted, but requires a little scrutiny.  Check out his year-by-year results.

2005: 1-7
2006: 1-7
2007: 5-3, (0-1 in playoffs) QUFL Coach of the Year
2008: 3-5
2009: 5-3, (0-1 in playoffs)
2010: 5-4, (0-1 in playoffs)

Bishop's was 1-7 in 2004 prior to his arrival then after he left, they dropped to 3-6.

Coaching a CIS program and being a pro position coach are very different beasts, no doubt, but based on his record, it would appear that Blugh has something to offer.

More on RB and Special Teams Coach Don Yanowsky

The RedBlacks announced their coaching staff yesterday.  The bios included in the release are now copied in the coach-specific page at right.

Most of the coaches are in the early part of their coaching careers, relatively speaking, but Don Yanowsky has clearly been around.

Yanowsky brings a wealth of coaching experience to Ottawa, having served over three decades in the professional, college and high school ranks. He made a CFL debut in 2012 in Calgary as linebackers coach for the Stampeders and held the same position last season. Yanowsky has served in several positions with various NCAA and high school programs, including Memphis, Louisiana State, Boston College, East Carolina, Duke, Arkansas State, Minnesota and Utah; including 10 seasons as a special teams coordinator in the NCAA. He began his coaching career in 1981 as a student assistant with the University of Toledo, where he also played.

So let's flesh that out a bit with his Memphis Tigers bio from just prior to his joining the Stamps.

Don Yanowsky, who served as the Memphis Tigers' offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator from 1989-94, returned to the U of M to guide the special teams unit and tight ends in 2010.

In 2010, Yanowsky guided one of the top punters in the nation as true freshman Tom Hornsey came to the United States from Australia and played in his first-ever U.S.-style football game...

Yanowsky and Larry Porter worked together during the 2009 season at LSU. The two were previously at Memphis together when Yanowsky was an assistant coach and Porter was a Tiger running back (1990-93).

Yanowsky was in his first season with the LSU Tigers in 2009, working with the tight ends and handling duties as recruiting coordinator. LSU's tight ends, led by senior Richard Dickson, combined to catch 27 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns as Dickson capped his career as the school's all-time leader for tight ends in receptions (89), yards (945) and touchdowns (10). Deangelo Peterson converted from wide receiver to tight end and responded with five catches for 82 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Prior to joining the LSU staff, Yanowsky spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Boston College, where he was the special teams coordinator and guided the tight ends.

He has over 25 years of collegiate coaching experience on both sides of the football as well as that of recruiting coordinator.

In two years with Boston College, the Eagles went 20-8 overall and reached a bowl game in both 2007 and 2008. In 2007, Boston College won its first eight games and climbed as high as No. 2 in the nation. The Eagles went on to post an 11-3 overall mark in 2007 as they claimed the ACC Atlantic Division title and played in the league's championship game. In 2008, the Eagles were 9-5 overall.

Yanowsky's tight ends at Boston college combined to catch 73 passes for 719 yards and five scores in 2007, followed by 34 receptions for 269 yards and two touchdowns in 2008. His top tight end, Ryan Purvis, was a two-time All-ACC selection and is rated as one of the top five tight ends going into the 2009 NFL Draft.

Prior to his arrival at Boston College, Yanowsky spent the 2006 season coaching tight ends and special teams under Skip Holtz at East Carolina. He coached at Duke for three years, from 2003-05, directing the offensive line for two years and the outside linebackers and special teams for one season.

Yanowsky was hired by Steve Logan at East Carolina for the first time in 2001, coaching the defensive line and helping the Pirates earn a berth in the GMAC Bowl that year.

Other coaching stops for Yanowsky include a four-year stint from 1997-2000 at Arkansas State; a one-year stay at Minnesota in 1996 to coach the defensive line; six years at Memphis under former head coach Chuck Stobart; and three years at Utah from 1982-84 as the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator.

Yanowsky got his start in coaching in 1981 when he was hired as a student assistant coach at Toledo. After his three years at Utah, Yanowsky coached at the high school level from 1983-1988, serving as offensive coordinator at Bountiful (Utah) High School and later as the head coach at Viewmont High School in Utah. He returned to the collegiate ranks in 1989 at Memphis.

A 1982 graduate of Toledo with a degree in education, he was a two-year starter at offensive guard for the Rockets.

Head Coach Rick Campbell also has a background in education.  I mentioned it at the time of Campbell's hiring, but I love reading that about a coach since, at the end of the day, his job is to teach.  If the rest of the information above had not been available, I could have at least felt good about that part of it.

The coordinators are very experienced and the position coaches are younger guys who have played the position for which they are responsible.  On paper, this staff makes a lot of sense.

Calgary's Mike Gibson reportedly accepts offensive coordinator job.

No official announcement as of yet, but this hiring is already finding its way onto the TSN website and is being reported by Calgary media.  Gibson has been the offensive line coach for the Stampeders the last two seasons.

Here's a portion of his bio from the Stampeders website.

Gibson first joined the Stamps in 2011 as the running backs coach, helping the club finish second in rushing yards. The club was second in rushing yards (2,244) and second in yards per carry (6.2).

Prior to joining the Stampeders, Gibson spent two seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as offensive coordinator. In 2009, Gibson also coached the offensive line and, in 2010, he worked with the team’s running backs. The Tiger-Cats offence made steady progress under Gibson and, in 2010, Kevin Glenn set a franchise record for touchdown passes and became only the second Hamilton pivot to throw for more than 5,000 yards in a season.

Before his two-season stint in Hamilton, Gibson spent two seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders as assistant head coach and offensive line coach and a total of three seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers — coaching the offensive line all three seasons, as well as serving as offensive coordinator during his final two seasons with the Blue Bombers.

Gibson’s first taste of the CFL came in 1995 when he was a guest coach with the B.C. Lions. He was hired as Winnipeg’s offensive line coach in 2001, a season in which the Bombers went 14-4 and played in the Grey Cup game. He earned a Grey Cup ring as part of Saskatchewan’s coaching staff in 2007.

Mike Gibson's Coaching History

2012 – Calgary Stampeders – Offensive Line Coach
2011 – Calgary Stampeders – Running Backs Coach
2009-10 – Hamilton Tiger-Cats – Offensive Coordinator
2007-08 – Saskatchewan Roughriders – Offensive Line/Assistant Head Coach
2005-06 – Winnipeg Blue Bombers – Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line
2002-04 – Louisiana (NCAA) – Offensive Line Coach
2001 – Winnipeg Blue Bombers – Offensive Line Coach
1995-99 – Rutgers (NCAA) – Special Teams/Offensive Tackles/Tight Ends Coach
1991-92 – Colgate (NCAA) – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
1987-90 – Temple (NCAA) – Offensive Line Coach
1986 – Rice (NCAA) – Assistant Athletic Director/Recruiting Coordinator
1984-85 – Boston University (NCAA) – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks/Running Backs
1982-83 – Boston University (NCAA) – Running Backs Coach
1980-81 – Cornell (NCAA) – Offensive Line Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
1979 – Western Maryland (NCAA) – Graduate Assistant

If there was some concern that Head coach Rick Campbell didn't have enough experience, then Gibson certainly brings enough of his own.  At first glance, this seems like a quality hire.

Rick Campbell to be hired as the RedBlacks first head coach today

Yesterday's news that Rick Campbell would be named the team's first head coach spread like an oil fire. 

While I typically prefer to wait until an official announcement for a hiring or signing, the article below (or at least the portion I copied) does a great job of detailing Campbell's background so I thought it would be the best one to share with and for people who may not be familiar with our new boss.  Credit to Vicki Hall at the Calgary Herald.

...The fit appears perfect. Campbell is a level sort and not one to get caught up in the elation of a win or the devastation of a loss. Should the losses pile up in Ottawa — and they might in the beginning — Campbell’s even keel personality will prove invaluable.

Much like his dad, Rick Campbell’s calling card is poise under pressure and dedication to creating a professional working environment that doesn’t resemble an afternoon soap opera (see: Winnipeg and Edmonton).

“A very steady young man,” Stamps head coach/general manager John Hufnagel said back in October when asked to describe his defensive co-ordinator. “Doesn’t get overwhelmed or overly excited or overly upset. He just coaches and does an excellent job.”

Rick grew up underfoot in football locker-rooms as his dad lorded over the Edmonton Eskimos for 26 years — first as head coach, then as general manager and later president — in an era marked by sheer dominance for the green and gold.

For the uninitiated, Hugh Campbell belongs on the CFL version of Mount Rushmore alongside the likes of the late Ron Lancaster and Bobby Ackles, the retired Don Matthews, and the active Wally Buono.

So great was his influence back in his time as president of the Eskimos, executives from other teams begrudgingly referred to the CFL as the Campbell Football League.

...

A school teacher by trade, Rick Campbell broke into the CFL coaching ranks in 1999 as an assistant in charge of the linebackers and special teams for the Eskimos.

Not surprisingly, Campbell dealt with allegations of nepotism — a fact of life for any second-generation coach working in the same office as his father. (Baby Huey, he was called behind his back).

By leaving Edmonton, by striking out on his own, Campbell erased all such talk. Under his tutelage in 2013, the Stamps surrendered 413 points, making them the stingiest defence in the eight-team circuit behind only the Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders (398).

“Rick is all about having fun and getting the job done at the same time,” Stamps middle linebacker Juwan Simpson said back in October when talk of Campbell moving on began to heat up. “I don’t know anyone on defence who has ever said anything bad about him.

“I think he’ll be a great head coach.”

Never mind his bloodlines, I always like to hear about a background in teaching.

Campbell wasn't one of the handful of names being frequently thrown around as possibilities earlier in the year, but the more I read about him, the more I like the appointment. He mixes relative youth with 15 years of experience in the league in various capacities involving all three aspects of the game.  Overall, it sounds like a pretty good blend.