Ex-star returns to football Herd as assistant coach

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This article was published 06/06/2022 (1446 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DJ Lalama will be joining Brian Dobie’s coaching staff at the University of Manitoba as a special teams co-ordinator and linebackers coach for 2022, the Bisons announced Monday. 

Lalama, a former Bisons linebacker who sat out the 2021 CFL season, was a special teams assistant last year while also working with the linebackers.

“Having the chance to go back and coach last year when I opted out of playing to deal with my dad’s health and some other stuff, I wasn’t exactly sure how it’d go… But day one of training camp with the Bisons, I learned quickly that I love coaching,” Lalama told the Free Press.

“We have a really good chance to do something special with the roster we have and the opportunity to be a part of that this year was too good to pass up.”

The 28-year-old Winnipegger retired from professional football last week. The St. Paul’s product was drafted in the eighth round of the 2016 CFL Draft by the Edmonton Elks and went on to play 33 regular season games between the Montreal Alouettes and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Lalama signed with the Calgary Stampeders in February but didn’t end up reporting to camp.

“Truth be told, I was super excited about the opportunity to play this year in Calgary. Obviously, I think everyone in the football world kind of felt we got robbed during COVID. A chance to go to a staple franchise in the CFL and compete and contribute is what led me to sign with them,” Lalama said.

“I got married this offseason and to be honest with you, (within a few weeks) of getting married, there were some other off the field opportunities that presented themselves. I’m currently taking my Masters of Business Administration at the U of M, this coaching opportunites, plus those other opportunities and wanting to start a family with my wife Carley, the idea of being away for six months wasn’t as special as it used to be.”

Lalama, who was named the top defensive player in U Sports in 2016, fills in at special teams coordinator for Ryan Karhut. For Dobie, getting a former star defender back into the program on a more consistent basis is a huge win.

“We got exactly the right guy at exactly at the right time. I’m really, really happy for DJ and particularly happy for Bisons football,” said Dobie.

“… He’s a great role model for our team and our players because he’s currently doing his MBA. I think that says a lot about him and a lot about his presence within our culture.”

Lalama played seven games for the Bombers in 2019 before finishing the season in Montreal. Mike O’Shea didn’t have Lalama for long, but the Bombers head coach sees a coach with a lot of potential in his former player.

“Absolutely. You know he’s smart. He played at a very high level and it’s not just his physical talent or physical abilities that allowed him to do that. He understands the game of football,” O’Shea said Monday.

“I’m sure he’ll be successful and I look forward to watching him.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31