Riders confirm hiring of Corey Mace as head coach

It’s official: Corey Mace is the new face of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The CFL team confirmed it had hired Mace to become its next head coach. The Green Zone reported the hiring Wednesday night.

Green Zone CFL insider Justin Dunk of 3DownNation reported the Riders had signed Mace to a three-year contract. That matches the length of the deal general manager Jeremy O’Day signed in October.

Mace, a 37-year-old product of Port Moody, B.C., has been the Toronto Argonauts’ defensive co-ordinator for the past two seasons.

“Today’s the day!”

Welcome, Coach Mace! pic.twitter.com/rSBfjPI2Ze

— Saskatchewan Roughriders (@sskroughriders) December 1, 2023

This will be Mace’s first head-coaching job in the CFL. He applied for the Ottawa Redblacks’ job last off-season, but that position went to Bob Dyce.

Mace and Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive co-ordinator Buck Pierce were the finalists for Saskatchewan’s head-coaching gig.

“From the get-go, Corey blew me away with his strong vision to lead the Saskatchewan Roughriders, his exceptional communication skills and his laser-focus on winning,” O’Day said in a media release. “But beyond his proven record as a top coach in the CFL, he also demonstrated a deep understanding of Saskatchewan and its people and a commitment to give back to our community.

“I am thrilled to welcome him and his family to the Roughriders and to get to work on a successful 2024 season.”

In Regina, Mace will replace Craig Dickenson, whose contract wasn’t renewed by the Roughriders after the 2023 season. The Riders went 6-12-0 in each of the past two seasons and missed the playoffs both years.

“Saskatchewan is an incredibly special place, and I could not be more excited to be the next head coach of this storied franchise,” Mace said in the release. “I am committed to bringing Rider Nation a team they can be proud of both on and off the field, and to give back to this province that gives our organization so much.”

Mace is to be introduced during a media conference Friday.

A former defensive lineman with the Calgary Stampeders, Mace has been a CFL assistant coach since 2015.

As a player, Mace was selected by Winnipeg in the second round (11th overall) of the 2007 CFL draft. But he didn’t join the Bombers, having signed a free-agent contract with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills before the CFL lottery was held.

While Mace was plying his trade in the NFL, his CFL rights were traded three times — by Winnipeg to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, by Hamilton to the Argos, and by Toronto to the Stampeders. After he was cut by Buffalo, Mace joined the Stamps in August of 2010.

He played 40 games with them over six seasons and won a Grey Cup in 2014. Injuries prompted him to retire in 2015 and he immediately joined Calgary’s coaching staff as the defensive line coach. He won the CFL title with the Stamps again in 2018.

Mace joined the Argos as their defensive co-ordinator in January of 2022 and helped them win the Grey Cup that season. In 2023, he helped Toronto post a 16-2-0 record, which tied the CFL mark for best record in a single season.

Despite their regular-season success, the Argos lost to the Montreal Alouettes in the East Division final. The Als then beat Winnipeg in the Grey Cup game in Hamilton.

According to Dunk, Mace’s offensive co-ordinator will be Regina-born Stampeders quarterbacks coach Marc Mueller, the grandson of Roughriders legend Ron Lancaster.

Mueller was a quarterback with the University of Regina Rams before moving into the coaching ranks.