A BITTERSWEET RETURN TO THE PAST FOR ALS GM
Maciocia says abuse from Edmonton fans, media caused pain that he still feels today
It must have seemed surreal to Danny Maciocia when the legendary Hugh Campbell came calling in 2002, asking him to join Edmonton's successful Canadian Football League franchise as offensive co-ordinator.
Only seven years earlier, Maciocia was the head coach of the junior St-Léonard Cougars. One season later, he joined the Alouettes as an unpaid quality control coach — the bottom of the coaching totem pole, where applicants break down film — before ascending to OC.
Maciocia, a St-Léonard native, was reluctant to move to Western Canada, despite the carrot being dangled, but was persuaded by his wife, Sandra Vaz, to relocate.
“It's the flagship franchise of the CFL,” Maciocia said this week. “For a young kid, you couldn't ask for anything more. Going to a flagship franchise with a rich history and tradition, in Western Canada, where football is big. This was something I couldn't turn down.”
The move seemed prescient when Edmonton went to three Grey Cups in Maciocia's first four seasons, including a 2005 victory as a rookie head coach. But five years later, after becoming the team's general manager, Maciocia was fired, his relationship with the organization, the media and the team's fans having soured.
On Friday, Maciocia returned for the first time in more than a decade, as the Alouettes' GM. Montreal launches its regular season on Saturday night against the Elks at Commonwealth Stadium.
The trip, and the game, will have no added significance to Maciocia, he said, because the organization, and most of the people associated with it, have changed. And while Maciocia talks about the growth — individually and professionally — he experienced during his nearly nine seasons in Edmonton, it also left the sensitive, family-oriented 54-year-old with some hurt and resentment that remains to this day.
“The thing that affected me wasn't myself, but the toll it took on the family,” he said. “It was a bit of a culture shock, especially with my (Italian) background and family (roots).
“When it took its toll on the family, did it take its toll on me? Absolutely. Did it get personal at times? You could say it got personal at times.”
Winning the championship in 2005 might have been the best — and worst — experience of his life as Maciocia never again reached the lofty expectations that had been set.
The team went 7-11 the next season as Maciocia became the first coach of a non-playoff team in Edmonton in 34 years. He was criticized for his conservative offensive game plans and his future was called into question. Things got worse in 2007, when Edmonton went 5-12-1, the team's worst record in 40 years.
Maciocia's eldest daughter was harassed at school and the attacks against him became more personal and derogatory. It was even suggested by one Edmonton columnist that the Quebecer wasn't “one of us.”
“At times, I felt like I wasn't accepted, that I didn't fit in,” Maciocia said. “Things worked out in the beginning because we were winning. But it was just a question of time before (the crude remarks) would come to the surface. There's nothing you can do. You take it and try not to let it affect you, even though you know it's out there.”
Maciocia's record as head coach was 33-38-1. He was 25-33-1 as GM from 2007 until July 31, 2010, when he was fired following a victory over B.C. with the team at 1-4 and Maciocia in the final year of his contract. Head coach Richie Hall said it should have been him jettisoned, while assistant coach Dan Kepley resigned out of solidarity with Maciocia, who returned to Montreal 24 hours after his dismissal, advised by a team official it was best he depart Edmonton.
Maciocia said at the time that mistakes were made, but not all of what went south was on him. Those who follow the community-owned team closely said the board of directors became too involved after Campbell's departure as president and CEO in 2006; that the organization was more about the bottom line and less about football.
After becoming offensive co-ordinator at CEGEP André Grasset, followed by nine seasons — two trips to the Vanier Cup and one title — as head coach at Université de Montréal, Maciocia's career has come full circle. He was hired as the Als' GM in 2020 before the season was cancelled due to COVID-19.
Older, wiser and with thicker skin, Maciocia said he's learned to go with his gut on decisions, surrounding himself with people whose strengths compensate for his weaknesses.
But after nearly two decades in the CFL, four trips to the Grey Cup and two victories, Maciocia noted there's still something left to prove.
“I want to be a part of something special,” he said. “I want to get on a bit of a run here, hoping this will be part of my legacy.”