GOLDEN BEARS FOOTBALL TEAM NAMES NEW COACH.
Chris Morris knows the pieces are there. Now it’s just a matter of putting them all together.
The former Edmonton Eskimos offensive lineman was unveiled as the new head coach of the University of Alberta Golden Bears football team on Tuesday morning. Morris knows it’ll be a process to take the U of A from conference cellar to contender, but believes the talent needed to do so exists. The Bears have a 17game winless streak, dating back to a 31-30 Canada West semifinal victory over the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in November 2010.
“They’ve had a tough run and I wanted the job because these kids in this community — I’ve coached in northern Alberta for a long time — there are elite athletes here. There is no reason why they can’t be successful,” Morris said. “This is a great opportunity. The clay is here — the process is what needs to be refined.”
It will be the 14-year Canadian Football League veteran and three-time Grey Cup champion’s first university coaching job, after most recently serving on the Harry Ainlay High School coaching staff. Working as offensive co-ordinator and offensive line coach under former Golden Bear Danny Boily, Morris was a part of the Titans’ run to the Alberta Tier I title in 2011.
Tuesday’s announcement was the culmination of a lengthy process to fill the head-coaching role on a permanent basis after former head coach Jerry Friesen resigned after 10 seasons in the spring of 2011.
Jeff Stead, who had served as the head coach for the last two seasons, along with former Golden Bear and Eskimo Blake Dermott, Edmonton Wildcats defensive line coach Barclay Spady and Calgary Stampeders special teams co-ordinator Mark Kilam were the other candidates shortlisted.
The players were informed at a team meeting Monday night that Stead wouldn’t be continuing as the head coach.
The 10-person selection committee, headed up by U of A athletic director Ian Reade, was impressed with Morris’s leadership abilities, which allowed the University of Toronto grad to become a well respected school principal at Spruce Avenue School after his playing career ended in 2005.
“It’s impressive that a guy has been able to take an inner-city school and do a lot with it,” Reade said. “I think there’s a leadership and a team approach there, so that’s good.
“THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY. THE CLAY IS HERE — THE PROCESS IS WHAT NEEDS TO BE REFINED.”
CHRIS MORRIS
“Everybody who’s ever been a head coach in CIS at one point hasn’t done it before. Everyone does it for the first time once.”
Morris said his role as principal, which he’ll con- tinue until the end of December, and as head coach are similar.
“Everybody wants to be successful, so you try and put them in a position where they can be and try to eliminate the things that take away from their level of success,” he said.
While Morris has a bachelor of education degree from the U of A, which he earned during his playing days with the Eskimos (19922005), Reade chose the lone candidate without coaching or playing experience with the Bears.
“My main concern was experience in the Edmonton community,” Reade said. “I certainly think it’s important that he has a very significant group of alumni involved in it. If the head coach is one of them or not isn’t as critical as what I believe is the ability to put together a good group of alumni who are supporting the program.
“I think his commitment to the city and football in the city has been shown.”
Morris’s top priorities are reshaping not only the team’s culture, but also its place in the Edmonton football community.
“I think the biggest challenge, and I talked to the young men today about it, is the culture here,” the former Canadian university lineman of the year said. “It needs to be a culture where there is no quit, where we’ve worked hard enough that when you look at the opponent in the eyes, it’s ‘I can’t quit, I can’t submit, I can’t let them beat me because I just worked so much harder than them that’s an unacceptable reality for me.’”