2024, April 10th: "REDBLACKS hire Greg Marshall as Defensive Line Coach"

OTTAWA - The Ottawa REDBLACKS announced, today, that they have hired longtime CFL coach, and Ottawa Rough Riders great Greg Marshall as the team's Defensive Line Coach, ahead of the 2024 season. 

A native of Beverly, Massachusetts, Marshall most recently served as Head Coach at the University of Toronto from 2018 to 2023, and in 2021, guided the team to the postseason for the first time since 1995. Prior to his time with the Varsity Blues, the 67-year-old spent three years as Defensive Coordinator at Queen's.

Marshall is no stranger to the CFL coaching ranks, breaking into the league in 1994 as Defensive Line Coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He added a Defensive Coordinator title in 1996, before moving on to occupy the same two posts for Edmonton from 2000 to 2004. In 2005, Marshall served as Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator of the Ottawa Renegades, before running the defence and linebackers for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 2006 to 2008. He made his way to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2009, working as Assistant Head Coach, Defensive Coordinator, and Linebackers Coach for two seasons, before being hired as Head Coach of the Roughriders ahead of the the 2011 season.

As a player, Marshall enjoyed a decorated nine-season career as a defensive end in the CFL, after suiting up in two games with the NFL's Baltimore Colts. He spent his entire career north of the border in the nation's capital, earning CFL East All-Star honours from 1981 to 1984, and was named a CFL All-Star in 1981, and 1983, winning Most Outstanding Defensive Player in the latter year. He was honoured with a spot on the RNation Legacy Wall at TD Place in 2023.

Marshall was drafted in the seventh round, 186th overall, by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1978 NFL Draft, after playing his collegiate football at Oregon State.

Marshall was on radio the night he was hired and during the interview casually wondered if he was the first person to be involved with all three Ottawa pro football teams. 

It kind of brought a chuckle because he played with Joe Paopao in 1987 and was on Paopao's coaching staff with the Renegades. Paopao was also with the REDBLACKS in 2019. Goes to show that as fans, we sometimes have better recollection of these matters than players/coaches do. 

I'd actually meant to share content about Marshall's playing days last year when he was added to the stadium's wall of fame, but admittedly it fell of my radar.

I did find the image below from a November 1983 Ottawa Citizen. Neat to see some other familiar faces on there.  

Unless I have yet to locate it, the reaction to Marshall winning the Most Outstanding Defensive Player award was rather subdued. It seemed to consist of a paragraph or two in articles celebrating the group as whole.

Since we're talking about coaches, let's look at a couple of new faces added to the staff when it was  announces in mid-February.

Pat Perles (OL) returns to the CFL, after having previously worked as the Offensive Line Coach in Saskatchewan (1994-96), Winnipeg (1997), and Hamilton (1998-1999), winning a Grey Cup in his final year with the Ti-Cats. Perles was also a Defensive Assistant with the Los Angeles Rams from 1992-1993, and in 2009 joined the Kansas City Chiefs as a Defensive Quality Control Coach, before working as their Assistant Offensive Line Coach in 2010, and 2011. He has also spent time on the NCAA circuit, previously coaching at Toledo, North Dakota State, Syracuse, and Michigan State. 

Deion Melvin (LBs) joins the REDBLACKS for his first season with the club after spending the last four years as Linebackers Coach with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Prior to coming north of the border, Melvin’s coaching career began at East Aurora where he worked as a graduate assistant in the early 1990s. He would go on to coach at Western Illinois (1993 to 1998), Missouri State (1999 to 2005), Georgia Southern (2006), Bowling Green (2007 and 2008), Ball State (2009 and 2010) and Lindenwood University (2011 to 2016), before returning for a second stint at Western Illinois (2017 to 2019). In a coaching career that spans 30 years, Melvin has gained experience working with players in all three phases of the game.

Alex Suber also returns to the fold. 

Alex Suber is back for his fourth season with the REDBLACKS, but first since 2022, after spending the 2023 season as Cornerbacks Coach at Middle Tennessee State. The move followed four years in the nation's capital, where Suber served as Defensive Backs Coach from 2019 until 2022, when he took on the role of Receivers Coach. Before joining the REDBLACKS, Suber coached receivers at Murray State University, after spending time as Lyon College’s defensive coordinator. Suber wrapped-up his CFL playing career with 65 games played and 254 defensive tackles.

This, of course, is in addition to naming Tommy Condell offensive coordinator.