B.C. Lions: The Rick Campbell era is over as head coach/co-GM fired

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Rick Campbell was hired by the B.C. Lions because he knew how to win in the playoffs. He had three Grey Cups under his belt — two with Edmonton as a special teams coach and then defensive coordinator, and a third as the head coach of the Ottawa Redblacks.

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But in four years with B.C., a team with a deep hunger to regain the CFL crown it hasn’t worn in more than a decade, Campbell came up short. Two losses in the West Final. Another in the division semifinal.

When the hubbub around this year’s Grey Cup died down, days after the Toronto Argonauts won their league-leading 19th title over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at B.C. Place, the B.C. Lions made the move that was long forecast: Campbell was out as head coach.

He had held the dual title that included co-general manager with Neil McEvoy. As part of their announced restructuring, McEvoy — a 29-year member of the Lions front office — was named vice-president of football operations. Ryan Rigmaiden was promoted to general manager.

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“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,” COO Duane Vienneau said in a news release.

“We’re proud to have Neil and Ryan in their new roles with the preparation for 2025 already underway. Our goal remains the same: To be in Grey Cup contention every year.”

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McEvoy, who joined the franchise in 1996 in the ticket sales department, also served in media relations before making the jump to football operations.

Rigmaiden becomes the club’s 17th general manager after spending the last three seasons as the assistant GM and director of player personnel. The Spokane, Wash., native returned to the Lions in 2021 as director of U.S. scouting. His first stint with the club began in that same role from 2013-17 and resulted in the acquisition of many of the club’s key players from south of the border.

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He then moved to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 2018-20 as director of college scouting while winning a Grey Cup ring in his second season. Before moving to the CFL, Rigmaiden served as director of player personnel for the Arena Football League Spokane Shock starting in 2006 before his promotion to general manager in 2010.

When COVID killed the 2020 season, it put Campbell’s first year on pause. He took a team that had gone 5-13 and missed the playoffs under DeVone Claybrooks to a 5-9 record in 2021, also missing the post-season. But he improved to back-to-back 12-6 campaigns the next two years, which ended in the West final in Winnipeg.

B.C. pushed all their chips in the middle of the table for 2024, splashing out on big-money free agents — including the midseason acquisition of Nathan Rourke and Mathieu Betts — as they made a push to play in the Grey Cup their city was hosting.

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But a five-game losing streak and an injury to starting quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. took the wind out of their sails, as B.C. struggled to find their form in the final five games of the season.

The stumble down the stretch meant no home playoff game, and the Lions fell on the road in Regina to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the division semifinal.

Campbell’s final record as head coach: 38-30 in the regular season, and 2-3 in the playoffs — both wins coming over the Calgary Stampeders.

One potential landing spot for Campbell: Edmonton, who just hired Ed Hervey — the same guy that gave Campbell the B.C. job — as GM. Rick LeLacheur, who just gave way to Chris Morris as Elks president and CEO, was lured out of retirement to run the club. He also fired head coach Chris Jones earlier this year.

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