OTTAWA — Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Corey Chamblin is the CFL’s coach of the year after guiding his team to the 101st Grey Cup title last November.
Chamblin accepted the Annis Stukus Trophy at a luncheon today at a downtown Ottawa hotel, where the CFL is conducting its annual business meetings this week.
The youngest head coach in the CFL took a veteran-laden roster into Calgary and beat the Stampeders 35-13 in the West final and then returned to Mosaic Stadium in Regina a week later and hammered the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 45-23 in the championship game.
The Roughriders finished second in the West Division with an 11-7 record.
Chamblin, 36, was up against Calgary’s John Hufnagel and Hamilton’s Kent Austin for the honour, which was voted upon by the Football Reporters of Canada. Chamblin received 39 of 59 first-place votes.
He’s already started preparing for the 2014 campaign, which is still five months away, and has already tried to put 2013 behind him and the team.
“If it was the off-season then I’d probably think about it a little bit more,” Chamblin said. “If I just said I marvelled at it then I might get caught up in it and lose track of 2014 and going forward.
“But it’s an awesome award. To be young (and against) those guys, they’re both quarterbacks and offensive-minded guys and I’m a defensive-minded guy. So there’s so many things for myself to look at, overcoming a lot of stigmas. I’m very proud to have this award.”
Chamblin is the seventh Grey Cup-winning head coach in the last eight years to capture the award.
BY KIRK PENTON, WINNIPEG SUN
