Hall: Kilam among 5 Canadian head coaches going into '25
12/06/2024 04:01 PM
Mark Kilam's phone exploded with 107 text messages on Monday when news broke of his new job as head coach of the Edmonton Elks.
The author of one of those texts: venerable CFL head coach/general manager Wally Buono.
"He's the legend," Kilam said in a phone chat on Thursday from his new office in Edmonton. "He's the guy. He's one of the first ones who got to the top as a Canadian. And obviously, his accomplishments and longevity speak for themselves.
"I appreciate him reaching out. Heartfelt words from someone who has been there, done that — someone you look up to — go a long way."
After Monday's announcement, the CFL has five Canadian head coaches including Mike O'Shea (Winnipeg), Corey Mace (Saskatchewan), Bob Dyce (Ottawa), Dave Dickenson (Calgary) and Kilam (Edmonton). (Dickenson was born in Montana and became a Canadian citizen earlier this year.)
RELATED
» Nye: Best pending free agents missing from the top 30 list
» Ferguson: 1 priority pending free agent for every team
»Cauz: 1 item on every team's off-season to-do list
» CFL.ca's top 30 pending free agents
» Costabile: 5 pending free agents that need to stay put
» Subscribe to the CFL's newsletter for exclusive offers and league updates
Buono said Canadian coaches like Mark Kilam earned their opportunities to lead a CFL team (Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca)
When I started covering the CFL in 2001, Buono — a commanding presence on the sideline in Calgary — was the only Canadian head coach in the league.
When I reached him on Tuesday, Buono scoffed at the premise of the call.
"Can I be quite blunt?" he asked.
I snickered. Can't recall a time Buono was anything but blunt.
"I’ve always disliked the connotation of the U.S. coach and the Canadian coach," he said. "I’ve always felt — back to when Normie Kwong hired me in 1990 — you apply as a candidate.
"Your citizenship should not be relevant other than, I guess, Canadian labour laws require certain things, right?
With Buono warming up, on the verge of a rant, I remained quiet.
"You know these guys, the Mark Kilam’s, they’ve earned their stripes, okay? They’ve been successful," he said. "They've learned from excellent people. And when they get their opportunity, it’s because they’ve earned it. They deserve it. Okay?
"And the people who are hiring them are expecting them to do a great job of bringing a championship to their organization."
Back in 2001, all kinds of unwritten rules existed around Canadians and the roles they played — and didn't play — on the CFL.
Kilam (right) was named the head coach for the Elks going into 2025 (GoElks.com)
Interior offensive linemen? Often Canadian. Fullback? Mostly Canadian. Free safety? Quite often, Canadian.
Starting quarterback? American. Starting tailback? American.
Head coach? American other than Buono, the outlier.
"Yep, that's changed," Buono said. "For the good."
Back in 2001, Killam played linebacker for the University of Alberta Golden Bears. He remembers watching CFL games at Commonwealth Stadium — sitting in seats up high and moving down closer to watch the action.
Then Killam moved to Calgary. He ran a strength and conditioning program for developmental athletes. He coached football in Cochrane, AB.
In 2005, he became the strength and conditioning coach for the Calgary Stampeders Clearly eager, he soaked up knowledge from the likes of defensive coordinator Denny Creehan and head coach Tom Higgins.
"I would follow Denny Creehan around and basically beg him to hold the bags for the drills," Kilam said. "I was like, `I’ll be the best bag holder you’ve ever seen.'"
From the "best bagholder you've ever seen" to CFL assistant coach to CFL head coach — thanks to nearly two decades of hard work and perseverance.
"I don’t see as, `Ah, man, I’m so happy Mark is a Canadian head coach," Buono said. "I’m happy for Mark because he’s a good man, and he’s had a great career in Calgary.
Kilam spent 20 years with the Stampeders, 15 of them as special teams coordinator (The Canadian Press)
"Now it’s time to expand."
When Buono looks back, he credits fellow Canadian Cal Murphy, long-time head coach in Winnipeg and Hugh Campbell, the legendary team president and general manager in Edmonton, for their guidance and mentorship.
"Those guys wanted to kick your butt," he said. "But they were very good about sharing advice."
Never shy to share advice or opinion, Buono outright rejects the notion the non-player operations cap is behind the move to hire more Canadian head coaches and Canadian general managers.
"That's asinine," he said. "I don't buy it. When you open a position up, there’ll be as many American coaches or American personnel people wanting the job as there are Canadians."
Over the years, Kilam formally interviewed five times for CFL head coaching positions. The first four tries, he didn't get the job. But he kept applying, kept believing.
"You just try to use that failure as fuel and keep going," he said. "I was not a superstar in university. I didn’t play in the NFL or the NCAA. I didn’t play in the CFL."
And he didn't let any of those things stop him.
"I didn’t have family ties to this league," he said. "I was literally Joe Nobody from Alberta finding his way up.
"And, you know, maybe I was stubborn enough to just push through."
