CFL

BC Lions Fire Head Coach, Co-GM Rick Campbell

The BC Lions decided to part ways with head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell on Wednesday.

Anthony Miller

Jun 17, 2023; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; BC Lions head coach Rick Campbell watches his players during warm up prior to a game against the Edmonton Elks at BC Place. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Jun 17, 2023; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; BC Lions head coach Rick Campbell watches his players during warm up prior to a game against the Edmonton Elks at BC Place. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images / Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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The Rick Campbell era in BC is over. On Wednesday, the Lions announced that they had parted ways with their head coach and co-general manager after four seasons.

"We thank Rick Campbell for playing a major role in bringing our franchise back to respectability and contention while navigating us through some very tough waters upon his arrival. He's a great coach and a great friend," Lions president Duane Vienneau said in a statement.

Campbell had two winning seasons as the head coach in 2022 and 2023, finishing with a 38-30 record in four seasons. The Lions made the postseason three of those four seasons, going 2-3 under Campbell.

The team promoted Ryan Rigmaiden to general manager and moved Neil McEvoy to vice president of football operations.

"We're proud to have Neil and Ryan in their new roles with the preparation for 2025 already underway," Vienneau continued in his statement. "Our goal remains the same: to be in Grey Cup contention every year."

McEvoy has been the co-general manager with Campbell since 2020 as he will enter his 29th overall season with the team. Rigmaiden spent the last three seasons as the assistant general manager and director of player personnel.

Their all-in approach plagued the 2024 BC Lions, which needed to pay off from paying quarterback Nathan Rourke the biggest contract in CFL history to bringing back Mathieu Betts to help the defense. Neither move impacted the Lions as they tried to make the Grey Cup in their home stadium. BC finished with a 9-9 record and was ousted in the first round.

The search begins for the Lions to find their next head coach to lead BC into the next chapter of their franchise while Campbell hits the free agent market as a head coach.

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Anthony Miller
ANTHONY MILLER

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