GM always looking for football minds
Jim Barker embraces role as mentor to those who could wind up running a team
“One day, probably a lot earlier than later, he’s going to be a GM in this league.” ARGOS GM JIM BARKER ON 24-YEAR-OLD CHRIS ROSSETTI
The Toronto Argonauts don’t know where their next scout or general manager will come from so they start talent-spotting early, sometimes discovering a future executive before they’re old enough to drive.
The front office is filled with interns and recent hires, which is part of general manager Jim Barker’s selfappointed role as mentor.
Across the CFL, there’s no triedand-true path to the executive ranks. Clubs have leaned heavily on former star players, and you can’t argue with the success of Hamilton’s Kent Austin, Calgary’s John Hufnagel, B.C.’s Wally Buono, Edmonton’s Ed Hervey and Winnipeg’s Kyle Walters.
But in the CFL, the route to the general manager’s office is not always through the player’s door: Four general managers in the nine-team CFL — such as Montreal Alouettes executive Jim Popp — never played pro ball.
Popp had strong family football roots, though: His father, Joe, was an assistant head coach who last worked with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns.
“I didn’t set out to become a general manager,” Popp said. “Opportunities presented themselves.”
He started as a coach, but over time learned the business side of football from former Roughrider GM Al Ford and the on-field side of the game from legendary CFL coach Don Matthews.
“I had tremendous teachers,” Popp explained, “from my dad to Nick Saban (head coach of the University of Alabama). In the CFL, I had the greatest teachers and listened.”
Barker’s journey to the general manager’s office is surprising only because he was a baseball fan first, and had no ambitions to be a GM. He grew up as a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and at one time, had want- ed to earn a living as an umpire.
Others have shown that you can start, basically at the bottom, working for a CFL team. Ian Sanderson started out videotaping the Argos’ home games while attending classes at York University, and worked his way up to director of football operations.
In Calgary, Michael Petrie worked for 12 years as a sportswriter before climbing to head of the Stampeders’ football operations.
Most famously, the late Bob Ackles was the B.C. Lions’ first water boy before making the improbable jump from the team’s lowest position to its highest as club president and CEO.
Popp is currently grooming Joey Abrams, assistant director of football operations, to take over when he leaves. Abrams, whom Popp describes as “smart and savvy,” has a business degree.
In Toronto, Barker has a batch of wide-eyed interns eager learn all facets of the game. Barker, 58, sees being a mentor “an important part of what I do.”
He admits, however, that the work is hard and the pay is little when starting out: “I treat them as if they make $100,000 a year, and I expect them to work them that way.”
An intern can expect to do menial jobs such as organizing scouting schedules, or running players back to their hotels.
One of Barker’s brightest proteges is 24-year-old Chris Rossetti, who was discovered as a quarterback at the University of Guelph. After his playing career, Rossetti joined the Argos as an intern in the scouting department.
Rossetti impressed Barker with his vast knowledge of players. Barker could give him any name and Rossetti would know where the player went to school and what time he ran.
He is now the director of player personnel for the Argos.
“One day, probably a lot earlier than later, he’s going to be a GM in this league,” Barker said of Rossetti.
Rossetti is so good, Barker said, that the Houston Texans approached Rossetti about a job last year.
“There’s going to be a point when I’m going to lose him,” Barker said, “and I need to have people around here who know how we operate and do things.”
One of Barker’s latest students is Jarrett Costron, who has taken one of the most improbably journeys to a CFL front office of anyone.
Costron first met Barker as a 12year-old who sat beside him on a Toronto-to-Calgary flight in 2006.
Barker, who was GM of the Calgary Stampeders at the time, just wanted to sleep, but the kid talked non-stop.
When his dad pointed to a Grey Cup ring on Barker’s hand, a young Costron proceeded to brag about the Roughriders, rattling off statistics, player names and personnel.
“He had information about salaries and the cap and he was asking me how the cap works and asking me questions about what we look for in players,” Barker recalled. “I was incredibly impressed with him.”
Before the plane touched down, Barker had invited Costron and his father to the Stampeders’ workout the next day and a tour of the McMahon Stadium facilities.
Costron initially stayed in touch by email, but over time, they lost contact.
Years later, Costron and his father happened to come across Barker giving a radio interview at the TSN booth during the 2012 Grey Cup festivities.
After the interview was over, Costron and his father approached Barker and reminded the GM about who he was.
“Are you kidding?” Barker was stunned.
When he learned that Costron was studying sport management at Brock University, Barker flipped Costron his business card, and soon made him a job offer.
Costron is now 21 and in the third year of the school’s four-year sport management degree course.
Since 2013, he’s also been interning in the Argonauts’ front office. Costron’s title is operations assistant.
“He’s been a valuable guy,” Barker said.
Looking back at his good fortune to be sitting beside Barker on that plane, Costron said: “It’s amazing how things lined up early on for me.”
How would his life have been different?
“I’d probably be at Queen’s or Western,” he said, “taking a normal commerce degree.”
When told of this, Barker paused to consider the impact he’s had on Costron’s career path.
“Wow,” he said. “That’s special to me.”