VANCOUVER — Change swept through the B.C. Lions on Wednesday as the club fired head coach and co-general manner Rick Campbell.
The team's new GM says there are more moves to come.
“Across the board in this building, we all have to chase greatness harder," said Ryan Rigmaiden, who was elevated from assistant general manager to general manager.
"From the equipment staff on up, everybody in this building, we all have to raise the bar. I believe that starts with the head coach, with that message.”
In addition to firing Campbell and promoting Rigmaiden, the Lions named former co-general manager Neil McEvoy vice-president of football operations.
The changes follow a season where the Lions started 5-1, then lost five straight games and finished with a 9-9 record. B.C. made the playoffs, but lost to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the western conference semifinal.
“There’s a lack of mental toughness on this team. And I think internally, we’ve all been discussing that for the last year," Rigmaiden said. "Instilling a new head coach with some different ideas and different values, I think, is going to be the biggest part of (changing) that.”
Lions president Duane Vienneau acknowledged that ousting a head coach after making the playoffs may seem odd to some onlookers.
“We just felt that we have the player personnel here at this club and we maybe didn’t perform to our potential like we should have," Vienneau said.
"We asked ourselves the reasons why. And sometimes when you’re not performing the way you should be performing when you feel you have the right players in the room, you need to make a change to get to that next level. And that’s the main reason why we did it.”
Campbell, 53, joined the Lions in December 2019 following six seasons with the Redblacks, including the 2016 campaign where Ottawa won the Grey Cup.
He and McEvoy were made co-general managers ahead of the 2021 season after former GM Ed Hervey stepped down. Hervey was named general manager of the Edmonton Elks on Tuesday.
The COVID-19 pandemic postponed Campbell's first game with B.C. until 2021. The team went 38-30 record in regular-season play and 2-3 in playoff appearances over his four seasons at the helm.
He previously held coaching roles with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos before joining the Redblacks in 2014.
The hunt for a new head coach will begin "immediately," Rigmaiden said.
B.C. plans to interview eight to 10 candidates, including Lions offensive coordinator Jordan Maksymic and defensive coordinator Ryan Phillips.
“There are several coaches that are currently unemployed that we’re going to talk to, there are several here internally that we’re going to interview as well," Rigmaiden said, adding that the team will also ask to speak with other coaches currently employed by CFL teams around the league.
Asked what he was looking for in a new bench boss, Rigmaiden spoke of three key traits.
“Leadership, accountability and toughness," he said. "I think that’s essential for every head coach no matter what sport you’re talking about. So that’s going to be something we’re going to emphasize.”
Campbell faced the unique situation of juggling two starting quarterbacks last season.
B.C. started the campaign with Vernon Adams Jr., but the 31-year-old American suffered a knee injury in early August. While he was hurt, the Lions inked Canadian star Nathan Rourke to a deal as he made his return to the CFL after two years in the NFL.
Campbell said he'd rely on Rourke to close out the year even after Adams returned, but Rourke struggled and the head coach went back to Adams for the final regular-season game and the playoffs.
The quarterback situation was "an interesting challenge," Vienneau said, but the way it was handled didn't prompt the coaching change.
“At the end of the day, it really came down to ‘Did we achieve what we wanted to achieve this year on the field with our record of performance?’” he said.
The Lions next head coach won't face the same dilemma.
Rigmaiden said Wednesday that B.C. plans to deal Adams to another CFL team and rely on Rourke going forward.
“I think everybody’s looking for a starting quarterback with (Adams') skill set. I would guess right out of the gate that two or three teams are interested," he said. "Anybody who isn’t firm on quarterback is going to, I think, at least want to have a conversation.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 20, 2024.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
