2 0 1 9 TRAINING CAMP GUIDE WELCOME 2 2019 LIONS SCHEDULE 3 TRAINING CAMP MEDIA INFORMATION 4 CLUB DIRECTORY 5 LIONS EXECUTIVES 7 FOOTBALL OPERATIONS 10 LIONS COACHES 12 PLAYERS: VETERANS 19 DRAFT PICKS & GLOBAL PLAYERS 70 PLAYERS: NEWCOMERS 77 HOW THE LIONS WERE BUILT 88 IT COULD HAPPEN – 2019 89 2018 IN REVIEW 90 1 Welcome On behalf of the BC Lions Football Club, welcome to 2019 Training Camp. Another exciting year of football is upon us as we hit the field for our We have a fun and exciting three weeks of football action in store for Lions 66th season in the Canadian Football League. In that time, the Lions fans in Kamloops which includes the ever-popular Fanfest presented by have created a lifetime of memories for millions of fans throughout the BCLC on Saturday, June 1st. Again this year, on-field festivities will take province of British Columbia. The rigors and challenges of the regular place in the evening giving everyone an opportunity to check out the season are less than a month away making training camp our most team and we’ll wrap up the night with another amazing fireworks display. important period of preparation. In addition to Sun Peaks Resort, we are pleased to have the City of Staging training camp in the Tournament Capital for a 10th consecutive Kamloops, Tourism Kamloops, BCLC, BA Dawson Blacktop, Thompson year, one of the longest stretches in our proud history, the scenic Rivers University, Twisted Tea, RBC Dominion Securities, Tim Hortons, surroundings of Kamloops has grown to become our home away from Shark Club and Harvest Meats as supporting partners of training camp home. Our time here is an unrivaled experience in our league as the this year. backdrop of this beautiful city is surpassed only by its warm hospitality Of the hundreds of players who have auditioned at numerous free agent and outstanding facilities. camps this past spring, the moment has arrived for the best of the best Under the watchful eyes of GM Ed Hervey and new head coach DeVone to show their stuff in the hopes of joining our talented core of veterans Claybrooks, this year’s training camp roster led by quarterback Mike and be part of British Columbia’s most successful professional sports Reilly is sure to produce some of the most heated battles for positions organization. that the club has seen in recent years. Months of scouting, planning and Here’s to an outstanding camp and a season we can all be proud of in 2019. preparation by our coaches and football operations staff are about to be unveiled in coming weeks and will undoubtedly yield a competitive, talented and exciting team for 2019. From our first days in Kamloops, we have enjoyed the generous support of Sun Peaks Resort as our presenting partner. We are proud and excited to work with them again in 2019 as this iconic Kamloops company continues to build on its well-earned reputation as an innovative business leader with their support of unique and beneficial initiatives for their community. Rick LeLacheur In addition to providing one of the finest settings for events of this kind, President Kamloops’ unique mix of superior facilities at Thompson Rivers University, BC Lions Football Club the Tournament Capital Centre and Hillside Stadium combined with a long history of hosting major events continues to make training camp here a perfect fit for our organization. 2 NEWCOMERS 3 MEDIA INFORMATION Jamie Cartmell Schedule and Important Dates: Director of Communications Sunday, May 19: 8:30 am to 10:35 am and 3:00 pm to 5:15 pm W: (604) 930-5469, C: (778) 558-0761 [email protected] Monday, May 20: 8:30 am to 10:35 am and 3:00 pm to 5:15 pm Tuesday, May 21: 8:30 am to 10:35 am and 3:00 pm to 5:15 pm Training Camp Site: Wednesday, May 22: 8:30 am to 11:45 am Practices: Thursday, May 23: 8:30 am to 11:45 am Hillside Stadium and Tournament Capital Centre Friday, May 24: 10:00 am to 12:20 pm 910 McGill Road - Kamloops, BC Saturday, May 25: 10:00 am to 11:15 am Sunday, May 26: BC at Edmonton (preseason 1) Kickoff 1:00pm PT Player Accommodations: Play by Play on TSN 1040 Thompson Rivers University Monday, May 27: 2:15 pm to 3:00 pm (rundown) Tuesday, May 28: 8:30 am to 10:35 am and 3:00 pm to 5:15 pm Player Media Availability: Wednesday, May 29: 8:30 am to 10:35 am and 3:00 pm to 5:15 pm Players are available to the media at one of two possible times. Thursday, May 30: 8:30 am to 11:45 am On days when the club has both morning and late afternoon Friday, May 31: 8:30 am to 10:35 am and 3:00 pm to 5:15 pm practice sessions, availability will take place following the first Saturday, June 1: 8:45 am to 11:00 pm, session only. On days when the club practices once, media FanFest presented by BCLC – 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm availability will occur following practice. Sunday, June 2: 8:30 am to 11:45 am All media requests for players and coaches must be received prior to the end of practice. Only those individuals requested Monday, June 3: 10:20 am to 12:20 pm will be made available. Tuesday, June 4: 10:20 am to 12:20 pm Wednesday, June 5: 10:30 am to 11:30 am DeVone Claybrooks Media Availability: Thursday, June 6: Players depart Kamloops Immediately following players on-field after practice. Friday, June 7: BC vs Calgary (pre-season 2 )Kickoff 7:00pm PT Play by Play on TSN 1040 *Practice times are subject to change without notice check bclions.com for daily updates. Camp Updates: BC Lions communications staff will provide daily updates to the schedule on the club’s website www.bclions.com. Sideline Policy: Interview Requests: All reporters, camera operators and associated media personnel will remain at least 5 yards from any sideline and are not All media requests for players, coaching staff and team allowed in the ‘players box’ or on the benches used by players. management must be approved by Jamie Cartmell, Director of Please do not engage players or football operations personnel Communications or his assistant on-site. in conversation during practice sessions. Cameras are not permitted to shoot from end zone positions. In order to avoid possible collisions, all camera operators Parking: are asked to shoot from sideline positions behind the line During practice sessions, parking is permitted in the lot at of scrimmage. This policy is in place to ensure the safety of Hillside Stadium. Please secure your vehicle and its contents. players, coaches and media personnel. 4 MEDIA INFORMATION MEDIA INFORMATION CLUB DIRECTORY Business & Football Operations BC Lions Fast Facts 10605 – City Parkway Home Stadium: BC Place Surrey, BC V3T 4C8 Capacity: 27,500 Tel: 604.930.5466 Fax: 604.583.7882 Stadium Address: 777 Pacific Boulevard Tickets: 604.589.7627 Vancouver, B.C. V6B 2Y9 Website: www.bclions.com Team Colours: Orange, Black, White Established: 1953 Media Box Locations Dressing Room Locations Level 3 concourse on the north side of stadium. Enter via media Home and visiting team rooms - Level 1 entrance only, located at ground level (level 1) at the northwest (field level) at the west end of the stadium. corner of the stadium off Pacific Boulevard north. CLUB DIRECTORY 5 CLUB DIRECTORY Executive Business Operations Owner: David Braley Vice President, Business: George Chayka President: Rick LeLacheur Senior Director, Marketing & Communications: Terri Breker Director, Communications: Jamie Cartmell Director, Community Partnerships: Jamie Taras Football Operations Director, Finance & Administration: Carol Longmuir General Manager: Ed Hervey Senior Project Manager: Carolyn Cody Director, Player Personnel: Torey Hunter Manager, Ticket Sales: Dave MacLean Director, Football Operations: Neil McEvoy Manager, Game Operations & Events: Sarah Hale Director, Canadian Scouting & CFL Draft Coord.: Geroy Simon Manager, Analytics & Ticket Operations: Arlene Stewart-Irvine Southeast Regional Scout: Ozooma Okeke Manager, Creative: Rich Koh East Regional Scout: Rob Ralph Manager, Merchandising Operations: Bob Foerster Manager, Digital Platforms & Social Media: Alex Ruiz Head Therapist: Tristan Sandhu Manager, Video Production: Josh Klaassen Assistant Therapists: Chris Wong, Emma Pringle, Craig Cuizon Administrator, Office & Finance:Michele Nuszdorfer Strength & Conditioning: Chris Boyko Sr. Coordinator, Community Partnerships: Tyler Gammon Equipment: Aaron Yeung, Brent Frid, Stu Mitchell Coordinator, Community Partnerships: Spencer Harris Video Coordinator: Andrew Millin Coordinator, Marketing: Christina Lionello Video Assistant: Jordan Beard Coordinator, Game Operations & Events: Victor Gouchee Team Doctors: Dr. Bob McCormack, Dr. Kevin Merth, Coordinator, Partnership Activations: Maira Neil Dr. Navin Prasad Coordinator, Partnership Activations: Emma Graham Dentist: Dr. Greg Chang Corporate Partnerships: Travis Lulay Optometrist: Dr. Allan Boyco Coordinator, Digital Platforms: Matt Baker Team Chaplain: Dave Klassen Associate, Digital Content & Video Production: John Lobban Associate, Game Operations & Events: Connor Ewert Coaching Staff Associate, Community Partnerships: Andrew Neilson Associate, Community Partnerships: Patrick van den Brink Head Coach: DeVone Claybrooks Account Executive, Suites & Premium Seats: Adam Mannella Defensive Coordinator/LB’s: Rich Stubler Account Executive, Sales: Preston Einarsson Offensive Coordinator: Jarious Jackson Account Executive, Sales: Jeff Mitchell Special Teams Coordinator: Taylor Altilio Account Executive, Sales: Tony Grigg Receivers Coach: Markus Howell Account Executive, Sales: Jacob Clancy Offensive Line Coach: Brian Chiu Account Executive, Fan Services: Michelle Burgoyne