Edmonton's Mark Kilam, B.C.'s Buck Pierce to meet in their CFL head-coaching debuts
Buck Pierce will make his CFL head-coaching debut in familiar surroundings.
Pierce begins his tenure as B.C.'s head coach Saturday night when the Lions host the Edmonton Elks. Pierce, 43, began his CFL career as a quarterback with the Lions (2005-09) — winning a Grey Cup in '06 – before finishing up as a player with the franchise in 2013.
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Saturday's contest will also be Mark Kilam's first as Edmonton's head coach.
Pierce, 43, replaces Rick Campbell, who was fired following the Lions' 9-9 record and early playoff exit in a season Vancouver hosted the Grey Cup. Pierce arrived in B.C. following 10 seasons as an assistant with Winnipeg, helping the Blue Bombers make five straight Grey Cup appearances, winning in 2019 and 2021.
'We've got to continue to grow, continue to teach and we've got to make sure we're able to finish,' Pierce said following B.C.'s 20-19 exhibition loss to Edmonton on Friday night.
Kilam, 46, joined Edmonton after 20 seasons as an assistant with the Calgary, including three Grey Cup-winning teams. Kilam, of Lethbridge, Alta., played collegiately at Alberta (1997-2001) as a linebacker and was hired by the Elks after the Stampeders didn't retain him.
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Edmonton (7-11) finished fourth in the West Division last season and last made the CFL post-season in 2019.
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The '25 season will be one of change for Edmonton. Since Larry Thompson bought the franchise last August, it has added a new president/CEO (Chris Morris), vice-president of football operations/GM (Ed Hervey) and coaching staff.
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'This is a fresh new vibe here,' Kilam said. 'There was a lot of roster turnover, there's been a lot of turnover in the admin side, obviously the coaching staff has been turned over.
'We're the new era of the Double E.'
Winnipeg's Mike O'Shea remains the CFL's longest-tenured head coach. The 54-year-old North Bay, Ont., native — twice the league's coach of the year — enters his 11th campaign on the Blue Bombers sidelines and looks to lead the franchise to a sixth straight Grey Cup appearance as this year's championship contest will be held at Princess Auto Stadium in November.
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Winnipeg has become a model of consistency under O'Shea. After missing the playoffs with a combined 12-24 record during O'Shea's first two seasons, the Bombers have posted double-digit victories the last eight and four consecutive first-place finishes.
O'Shea, inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame as a player in 2017, has a 107-69-0 regular-season record.
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Toronto's Ryan Dinwiddie enters his fifth season with the club. The 44-year-old American has led Argonauts to two Grey Cups (2022, '24), compiling a 46-22 regular-season record.
Toronto has finished atop the East Division three times and posted double-digit victories the last three years under Dinwiddie, the CFL's 2023 coach of the year.
Scott Milanovich, 52, begins his second season as Hamilton's head coach/offensive co-ordinator. The Ticats (7-11) were fourth in East Division last year, missing the playoffs.
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This marks Milanovich's seventh CFL regular season as a head coach, having spent time previously with Toronto (2012-16). He has a 50-58-0 regular-season record and was the CFL's coach of the year in 2012, the same year he led the Argos to victory in the 100th Grey Cup at Rogers Centre.
Bob Dyce enters his third full season as Ottawa's head coach. He led the Redblacks to 9-8-1 record and third in East Division for its first playoff appearance since 2018 before dropping a 58-38 semifinal decision to Toronto.
Dyce, 59, of Winnipeg, has a 17-31-1 record with Saskatchewan (3-6) and Ottawa (14-25-1). He won two Grey Cups as an assistant (2013 with Riders, 2016 with Redblacks).
Jason Maas, 52, embarks on his third season as Montreal's head coach. He led the Alouettes to a '23 Grey Cup title and tops in the East Division last season (CFL-best 12-5-1 record) before losing 30-28 to Toronto in the conference final.
Maas, the '24 CFL coach of the year, has a 62-45-1 head-coaching record having previously served with Edmonton (2016-19).
Dave Dickenson, 52, begins his second season as Calgary's GM and ninth as head coach. The Stampeders (5-12-1) missed the CFL playoffs for the first time since '04.
Dickenson has an 84-53-3 regular-season record and led Calgary to an '18 Grey Cup title.
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Corey Mace, 39, of Port Moody, B.C., returns for a second season as Saskatchewan's head coach after guiding the Riders (9-8-1) to second in West Division. The club opened the playoffs downing B.C. 28-19 before losing 38-22 to Winnipeg in conference final.
Mace is a three-time Grey Cup champion as a defensive lineman (2014 with Calgary) and coach (assistant with Stamps in 2018, Toronto in 2022).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025.
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It will be a historic CFL first Saturday night in Vancouver. The B.C. Lions will host the Edmonton Elks at B.C. Place in the season opener for both teams. This will mark the first opening week featuring two Canadian starting quarterbacks (B.C.'s Nathan Rourke, Edmonton's Tre Ford) since 1968 and the first time it's occurred in the same game. The 2025 season will kick off Thursday night with the Ottawa Redblacks visiting the Saskatchewan Roughriders. On Friday night, the Toronto Argonauts begin their Grey Cup defence in Montreal versus the Alouettes before the Calgary Stampeders entertain the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday night. Also of note in Vancouver, B.C.'s Buck Pierce and Edmonton's Mark Kilam will make their CFL head-coaching debuts. Rourke, 27, of Victoria, rejoined the Lions last season following NFL stints with Jacksonville, New England, the New York Giants and Atlanta. He was the league's top Canadian in 2022 with B.C. Ford, also 27, was Edmonton's '22 first-round pick out of Waterloo. The Hec Crighton Trophy winner from Niagara Falls, Ont., was 9-9 in 18 starts over the last three years before signing an extension with the CFL club this off-season. Ford and Kilam are looking to lead Edmonton to the CFL playoffs for the first time since 2019. Pierce joined the Lions following 10 seasons as an assistant with Winnipeg, helping the Bombers make five straight Grey Cup appearances, winning in 2019 and '21. Some other season-opening facts: — The overwhelming majority of players on CFL rosters are veterans. According to the league, just 67 of the 493 total players on teams are in their first year (13.6 per cent) compared to 93 at this time last year. — Players have an average of 41 games (2 1/2 seasons) of CFL experience and 22 starts. — The average age in the CFL is 28.2 years. Ottawa Redblacks versus Saskatchewan Roughriders (Thursday night) At Regina, the Redblacks struggled mightily on the road last season, posting a 2-7-0 record. But they were 6-3-1 versus West Division rivals. Dru Brown begins his second full season as Ottawa's starter and will have veteran receiver Eugene Lewis available. Lewis finished last season with touchdown catches in Edmonton's final eight games, leaving him two short of Terry Evanshen's league record. Veteran Trevor Harris gets the start for Saskatchewan, which is looking to improve upon last year's 5-4 home record and 4-3 mark versus East rivals. Pick: Saskatchewan. — Toronto Argonauts versus Montreal Alouettes (Friday night) At Montreal, Davis Alexander begins his first full season as the Alouettes' starting quarterback. He was an impressive 4-0 last year while incumbent Cody Fajardo — who's now in Edmonton — was injured. Veteran Nick Arbuckle, last year's Grey Cup MVP. is slated to start for the new-look Argos, who begin their title defence without many of the faces that played prominent roles in last year's championship. Chad Kelly, the CFL's 2023 outstanding player, continues to recover from the serious leg injury he sustained in last year's East Division final. Pick: Montreal. — Hamilton Tiger-Cats versus Calgary Stampeders (Saturday night) At Calgary, Hamilton starter Bo Levi Mitchell chases his first regular-season win at McMahon Stadium, where he played so many years with the Stampeders. A victory would be Mitchell's 100th in the CFL and come in his 141st career start, making him the fastest player in league history to achieve the milestone. Veteran Vernon Adams Jr. makes his first debut with the Stampeders, who are looking to return to the CFL playoffs after missing out last year for the first time since '04. Pick: Hamilton. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. — Edmonton Elks versus B.C. Lions (Saturday night) At Vancouver, no one was busier this off-season than Edmonton general manager Ed Hervey, who added the likes of defensive linemen Jake Ceresna and Robbie Smith, defensive backs Royce Metchie and Tyrell Ford and offensive lineman David Beard. Conventional thinking suggests it will take time for the Elks to mesh. Both starting quarterbacks are athletic and dual threats. This one could be close, so the edge should go to the home team, especially with veteran kicker Sean Whyte. Pick: B.C. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2025.
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