Buck Pierce named head coach of B.C. Lions

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/12/2024 (368 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will be without their offensive guru moving forward, as Buck Pierce has been named the new head coach of the B.C. Lions.

Pierce, who spent the last four seasons as Winnipeg’s offensive co-ordinator, was announced Tuesday afternoon as the new bench boss in B.C. The 43-year-old was considered a frontrunner for the job and is now the 28th head coach in franchise history.

“Buck was a candidate we identified early in this process as someone who is ready to step in and lead our franchise,” Lions general manager Ryan Rigmaiden said in a statement. “His track record in the Canadian Football League as both a player and a coach says it all.”

Pierce returns to B.C., where his CFL journey first started as a quarterback with the Lions between 2005-09, before spending his final season there as well, retiring in 2013. Pierce played for the Bombers for four seasons and then coached in Winnipeg for 10, first as running backs coach (2014-15), then quarterbacks coach (2016-19) and offensive co-ordinator (2021-24).

During his time in Winnipeg, Pierce helped lead the Bombers to a pair of Grey Cup victories (2019, 2021) and five consecutive Western Division championships (2019, 2021-24).

“I’m extremely excited and honoured to take this next step in my coaching career with the organization that originally brought me here nearly 20 years ago,” said Pierce. “The building blocks are in place here and we look forward to getting to work as we strive to bring the Grey Cup back to British Columbia.”