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Bomber search engine revving up

Big Blue hunt begins in earnest for CEO, GM and head coach

By: Gary Lawless

28/12/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 8

Former CFL commissioner Tom Wright was linked to the Bombers CEO position during November's Grey Cup festivities.

FRANK GUNN / THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES Enlarge Image

Former CFL commissioner Tom Wright was linked to the Bombers CEO position during November's Grey Cup festivities.

After a whirlwind house cleaning the Winnipeg Blue Bombers left the windows open to air things out for a few days, but are beginning the process of filling up empty chairs in their football family.

The resignation of Bombers czar Lyle Bauer and the subsequent firing of head coach Mike Kelly has left the club bereft of leadership on both the football and business sides of the organization.

Bauer, rumoured on and off to be headed to the Calgary Stampeders as their next president, told the Free Press on Sunday he's looking at a number of opportunities but none in football.

Kelly is dealing with legal issues in Pennsylvania after being arrested following a domestic dispute with an ex-girlfriend.

The Bombers board of directors have formed search committees for three positions: president/CEO; vice-president of football operations and head coach.

The committees will begin the work of contacting candidates and going through resumés over the next week with interviews scheduled to begin the first week of January.

The search committees will work simultaneously dealing with candidates for all three positions, however, the board is anxious to have its vice-president of football operations in place as quickly as possible.

Board members Ken Hildahl, Joe Poplawski, Bill Watchorn and Paul Robson along with interim president and CEO Jim Bell will head up the vice-president of football operations search.

Bell is also expected to put together the job description and criteria for both executive positions.

The board will likely keep the head coach search on the back burner until they've put a football operations boss in place and then include the new hire in the selection process.

Board chairman Ken Hildahl said last week there is significant interest in all three jobs.

There are all kinds of names and rumours and here's a list compiled on speculation and whispers:

Candidates

 

CEO/PRESIDENT

 

George Chayka (vice-president-business, B.C. Lions)

Chayka is well respected in the league and has worked well in an organizational chart in B.C. where he runs the business side while Wally Buono handles the football end of things. Chayka was interviewed for the president's chair in Regina a few years ago but backed off due to personal reasons.

 

Tom Wright (managing director, LEVEL5 Strategic Brand Advisors)

Wright's name was linked to the Bombers CEO gig at the Grey Cup, prior to Lyle Bauer's resignation. Former league commissioner and still a big name at the board level in Canadian sports and entertainment.

 

Grant Carter (CEO Team Doctors Preferred Access)

Former Blue Bombers rush end, worked with the Royal Bank for close to eight years in Atlanta, heading a sports and entertainment division.

"I haven't spoken to anyone formally but I'd certainly be interested in this position. I've kept up with the league," said Carter, 39.

 

VICE-PRESIDENT, FOOTBALL OPERATIONS

 

Brendan Taman (director of football administration, Saskatchewan Roughriders)

Taman held this post with the Bombers prior to being pushed out last off-season by the Mike Kelly regime. Popular with the staff and still highly regarded by some board members.

 

Tom Higgins (director of officiating, CFL)

Professorial type who won coach of the year with the Calgary Stampeders in 2005 and coached the Edmonton Eskimos to a Grey Cup win in 2003 and was also named coach of the year that season.

 

Ross Hodgkinson (interim vice-president, football operations, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Bumped to interim post after front office shakeup two weeks ago. Respected and trusted by board. Capable, detail oriented and hard working. Would provide stability after shakeups in the past two seasons.

 

John Murphy (director of player personnel, Winnipeg Blue Bombers)

Made strides turning the Bombers roster over this past season going with more speed and youth. Biggest challenge this off-season will be to land a quarterback capable of developing into a legitimate starter in the CFL.

 

HEAD COACH

 

Greg Marshall (defensive co-ordinator, Hamilton Tiger-Cats)

Many believe this is his job to lose. Marshall was the favoured choice of many board members prior to Bauer ushering Kelly as his coach last off-season. Tiger-Cats GM Bob O'Billovich is on record as saying he won't stand in Marshall's way. Also a candidate for the opening with the Toronto Argonauts.

 

Rick Campbell (defensive backs coach and special teams co-ordinator, Winnipeg Blue Bombers)

Defensive co-ordinator with the Edmonton Eskimos for several seasons before moving to the Bombers last year. Son of CFL legend Hugh Campbell, has the football smarts and will get an interview if he's interested.

 

Tim Burke (defensive co-ordinator, Montreal Alouettes)

Has spent the past five seasons in the CFL, the last two as defensive co-ordinator in Montreal after a lengthy coaching career in the NCAA.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

 

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 28, 2009 C4

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8 Commentscomment icon

How come Mike McCarthy who is currently with the Als isn't on the list? He's quoted as saying he's interested in the position of VP.

Why Greg Marshall?? I hate that idea. Our defense shouldn't be touched. We need an offensive coach. The writing is on the wall in every football league. Sure Kelly didn't work out but offensive head coaches are generally more successful than defensive ones. And our defense is fine as is. I loved our defensive schemes.
Is getting the right head coach more important than keeping the chemistry going on d, yes. But who says Marshall and that montreal guy have what it takes anyway. I honestly haven't seen it in Marshall. He got way to much credit for fixing the leagues worst defense. taman wAs mostly responsible for that. Keep our d coach and our st coach and our gm. The team needs some stability and those 3 were our few bright spots.
If we do get a defensive coach it better be Tim Burke. He's got years of head coaching experience and has worked under tresmen, the leagues best coach. And has worked under Jim popp the leagues best gm. And Murphy our gm likes leaning on the coach and working with the coach to build a team like any great gm does. So his experience with popp should be a huge plus. Not to mention the recent success he has experienced. That would be ok by me since an offensive coach with cfl experience doesn't seem to be around for the job.
They have to keep our d and st co ordinators and gm. And they have to take either Tim Burke or an American offensive genious as a head coach, and pray it's a tresmen not an andrus. And for F sakes give us a quarter back god!!!

No, no, no to Brendan Taman. Of all those named for the VP of Football Operations I think Murphy would do the best job.

Please, please, please, not Rick Campbell for head coach. He's not half as good as this article or anyone will likely suggest. We'd be smart to bring Greg Marshall in and stop the bleeding.

Many former Bombers are still around and should be considered for the jobs..ex.. Matt Dugian, Miles Gorrell, Chris Walby, just to name a few..........

I think Carter could be interesting, but having just gone thru what we did I would like to ensure that this has been taken care of to everyone's satisfaction. http://www.wsbtv.com/news/14798003/detail.html

We don't need another feeding frenzy.

Grant Carter, now there's a blast from the past. I hope he gets a good look because he's played here and he'll bring a fresh face to the CFL executive ranks.
I would like to see more former players return to the CFL as coaches and execs.

so far so good listed candidates are quality football people.I would like the executive to try and do something that some may think is impossible and that is to try and pry Wally Buono out of BC, somehow, someway. Just my thoughts , either way I think the ship will be upright before to long.

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