EDMONTON - Three-time Grey Cup champion, Edmonton Eskimo Wall of Honour Member, CIS J.P. Metras Trophy winner, University of Alberta graduate, Edmonton educator and high school football championship coordinator Chris Morris has been chosen to turn around the University of Alberta Golden Bears football program. He assumes the roles and responsibilities of the head coach for the Golden Bears football program immediately.
“The set of circumstances that exist here at the University of Alberta is what is really appealing to me,” said Morris. “There really is a wealth of talent in Northern Alberta, and a tremendous opportunity to develop the sport of football in the city and province with the Golden Bears program. I‘ve had the pleasure of coaching in the high school ranks for the past five years, so I’ve seen the talent, and know that there is a huge opportunity for the Golden Bears football program to become successful. I’m excited to empower others, to work with people and football organizations to turn this program around and into something that the university deserves and can be proud of.”
Morris, originally from Scarborough, Ont., takes over a program that hasn’t won a Canada West conference title since 1981, and has missed the playoffs in seven of the past 12 seasons while putting together a record of 38-58 (.395), including 0-8 in 2012.
“Sometimes people over complicate success, but what I’ve found, in every phase of my life, is that success comes down to out-working the people you’re in competition with. And I don’t mean the players have to work harder, because it really starts from the top and moves down. If this program is going to become the top program in CIS, then as the head coach of this program, I have to out-work every other CIS head coach. One of the most important jobs I’ll have as head coach is to set the standard, to be the example. Once I’ve done that, then I have to put people in place who can have their hard work pay off so we can be successful together.”
He holds two degrees (bachelor of physical and health education – University of Toronto 1995, and bachelor of education – University of Alberta 1997), is a two-time CIS all-Canadian while playing for the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, and he won the J.P. Metras Trophy as the most outstanding down lineman in the country in 1990. He also played in the East-West Shrine Bowl before getting drafted in the first round (8th overall) of the 1992 Canadian Football League draft by the Edmonton Eskimos. He started in his rookie season, and played an additional 14 seasons, or 237 games for the Eskimos. He was a team captain, and he played in five Grey Cup games with the Esks, winning three (1993, 2003 and 2005), and was given a plaque on the Eskimos’ Wall of Honour in Commonwealth Stadium in 2008.
“At the University of Alberta, we expect our coaches to be passionate leaders and educators,” stated Director of Athletics, Ian Reade, PhD. “We expect our coaches to advance the world of sport through student-athlete development, but also through sport development. We believe we have found an individual with the capability to do both. Chris Morris’ accomplishments as a CIS player, as an Edmonton Eskimo and as an Edmonton high school football coach make him a great choice for the Golden Bears football head coach position, but his academic background, his abilities as a leader, motivator and educator, as well as his connections and passion to and for the Alberta football community make him the perfect fit for the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation at the University of Alberta.”
While still playing in the CFL, Morris became a full-time teacher within Edmonton Public Schools in 1997, earning a provincial teacher of excellence nomination during that time. He ascended to principal in 2009, and as principal of Spruce Avenue Junior High, he turned around the school’s historical Provincial Achievement success rate from 50% to close to 90%, the highest in the history of the school. Morris has also been extremely active with Edmonton and area charities and communities, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Ronald McDonald House and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, since his arrival in 1992.
He has also served as the offensive coordinator of the Harry Ainlay Titans football program, helping the Titans to three city championships, two Northern championships and one provincial championship title over the past four seasons.
“One of the big, most appealing parts of this job is the fact that you’re in one of the very limited and select seats in the province that gets to shepherd football. It’s a unique opportunity to work with the minor football associations, the high school ranks, the Canadian junior teams and the Eskimos in a collaborative model that supports the advancement and development of the sport. It’s a formidable job, but the resounding success that would come from working with all levels of football in the province to develop kids in a sport that can teach them so much, is such a huge benefit to this job,” said Morris.
“The University of Alberta Golden Bears football team cannot be successful unless the other amateur football organizations in the province and the Edmonton Eskimos are all at the table in a coordinated effort to develop football in Edmonton. There are very few jobs that present the kind of opportunity this job presents, but can you imagine how it could be if all those parts came together, for the good of football in Edmonton, and started moving in the same direction?”
bears.ualberta.ca
December 11, 2012
Morris adds Spady, Walters and Boily to football staff
EDMONTON - A week after being introduced as the Golden Bears football head coach, Chris Morris has begun to shape his coaching staff. Joining Morris on the sidelines for the 2013 season will be former Edmonton Eskimo Rick Walters (offensive coordinator), former Harry Ainlay Titans head coach, and Golden Bear alumnus, Danny Boily (defensive coordinator), while former Golden Bear and Edmonton Wildcats defensive line coach Barclay Spady has been named the program’s defensive line coach and amateur football liaison.
“The biggest thing about all of these guys is that they are excellent teachers and mentors of the game,” said Morris of his first three staff additions. “They all possess an outstanding knowledge and understanding of the game, but more importantly, they are all capable of breaking that knowledge down in a way that allows athletes to understand it, and in a way that allows them to develop into better athletes.”
Running the defensive line, and serving as the Golden Bears’ liaison to amateur football in the province of Alberta, will be Barclay Spady. He played defensive line for the Golden Bears from 1992 to 1996, earning all-Canadian status in 1995, and Canada West all-star honours in 1995 and 1996. He began coaching football in Alberta in 1997, including as the head coach of the Bev Facey Falcons in Sherwood Park (1999-2011), as the defensive line coach with the Edmonton Wildcats of the Prairie Football Conference, and in several stints with Football Alberta teams. While with Bev Facey, he guided the Falcons to six city championships and four Northern Alberta Tier 1 High School championships, and he named was the Football Alberta Frank Morris Tier 1 High School Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2005. He was also recently named to the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Team World staff.
“Coach Spady brings over a decade of high-level coaching and elite level athlete development to the Golden Bears,” noted Morris. “He has been successful on the field and in developing athletes in one of true football hotspots in Alberta, Sherwood Park. Along with his experiences in that community, coach Spady has worked with both provincial and national teams as a coach and has been responsible for the development of hundreds of athletes to an elite level.”
Spady will also work closely with all amateur football organizations in Northern Alberta, particularly minor football, in an effort to support the volunteer coaching staffs in those organizations, and to assist in the development of the sport through camps and clinics.
“The Golden Bears can only become sustainably successful if all levels of football in Edmonton, particularly the minor and amateur levels, are successful as well. We need to support the great work already being done by countless volunteer coaches throughout the province,” continued Morris. “Both Barclay and I are going to spend a lot of time facilitating relationships and mentorships between the U of A and minor football programs. Barclay is very well respected and known in the Alberta football community so it is a natural fit to have him playing a significant role in fostering these relationships.”
Also hailing from the Golden Bear alumni ranks is new defensive coordinator Danny Boily. He holds two degrees from the U of A (bachelor of physical education and recreation, and bachelor of education) and played defensive back for the Golden Bears from 1995 to 1999. He has spent the last eight years as the head coach of the Harry Ainlay Titans program, guiding them to three city championships (2009, 2010 and 2011), two Northern championships (2010 and 2011) and one provincial championship title (2011). He was named the Football Alberta Frank Morris Tier 1 High School Coach of the Year in 2011.
“Coach Boily brings outstanding defensive football expertise to the Bears, as well as an understanding of how to build an elite football program,” noted Morris, who coached alongside Boily at Harry Ainlay for the past four years.
Walters, who is originally from Jamaica, is a graduate of Archbishop O’Leary High School in Edmonton and Simon Fraser University, where he played with the Clan when they competed in the NCAA. He went on to play 11 years as a slotback in the Canadian Football League, including five years with the Edmonton Eskimos (1999 – 2003). While with the Eskimos Walters won a Grey Cup, alongside Morris, in 2003 and he was the recipient of the Tom Pate Memorial Award for outstanding community service in 2001. He previously coached with the Golden Bears in 2006, serving as a receiver’s coach. He was most recently the head coach and offensive coordinator of the Edmonton Huskies of the Prairie Football Conference. He also works for the Government of Alberta as Manager of Special Projects, including the 2009 Grey Cup (Calgary), the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, and the 2010 Grey Cup (Edmonton).
“Rick is well known as a great offensive football mind in the City of Edmonton and the greater Alberta football community,” said Morris. “He believes in a high-tempo game plan, that involves multiple formations, and he will create one of most dynamic offensive systems in CIS.”