Bombers finalize coaching staff
Published on February 8, 2006 under Canadian Football League (CFL)
Winnipeg Blue Bombers News Release
WINNIPEG, MB -Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Doug Berry finalized his coaching staff today with the addition of three more coaches.
The additions include defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Greg Marshall, defensive line coach Richard Harris and quarterbacks coach Mike Working.
They will join previously announced offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Mike Gibson, receivers coach Bob Dyce, defensive backs coach Gregg Butler and running backs and special teams coach Cory McDiarmid on the Bomber coaching staff.
Greg Marshall spent the 2005 season as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach of the Ottawa Renegades.
Under Marshall's tutelage, Ottawa finished third in the CFL last season in takeaways with 57 (25 interceptions, 18 fumble recoveries, 14 on downs). Meanwhile, the Renegades' 25 interceptions were second best in league. The âGades D also allowed the third lowest pass completion percentage (59.5 per cent) in the CFL in â05.
Prior to his stint in the nation's capital, Marshall spent five seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos as their D-line coach and later as defensive coordinator. His Eskimos defensive units regularly ranked among the league's elite during his stint with the Eskimos. In 2003 the Esks' D led the CFL in fewest points allowed (367), fewest touchdowns allowed (37), lowest average points per game allowed (20.4), lowest percentage of pass completions allowed (50.8 per cent) and lowest gain allowed per pass (7.1 yards).
Marshall entered the CFL coaching ranks with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1994. He spent six seasons with the âRiders as defensive coordinator and D-line coach. He also served as Saskatchewan's coordinator for the CFL College Draft.
A native of Beverly, MA, Marshall patrolled the sidelines of the Ottawa Sooners of the CJFL prior to being hired by the Roughriders. He enjoyed three successful seasons with the Sooners including 1991, when he led them to an undefeated season and a national junior championship, which earned him CJFL Coach of the Year honours.
Marshall was one of the CFL's most feared defensive linemen during his nine seasons as a player in the league. He was the CFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 1983, a four-time Eastern Division All-Star and a two-time CFL All-Star.
Prior to making the trek north, Marshall was a seventh round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1978 NFL Draft. He had brief stints with both the Eagles and the Baltimore Colts.
Like Marshall, Richard Harris spent last season in the nation's capital as a member of the Ottawa coaching staff. In 2005 his âGades D-line allowed the second fewest rushing TDs (16) of any CFL team. The Ottawa D-line also supplied constant pressure on opposing QBs, allowing the third lowest percentage of completed passes (59.5 per cent) of any CFL squad.
Overall, this season will mark Harris's sixth as a CFL coach. He spent four seasons as the defensive line coach of the B.C. Lions prior to his stint in Ottawa. In 2000 he worked as head coach of the Portland Prowlers of the Indoor Professional Football League. He guided the Prowlers to a 13-4 record and a berth in the league championship that year. He was later named the IPFL's Coach of the Year. Harris won three semi-pro championships as a head coach in the Northwest Football League - Eastside Express (1989) and Puget Sound Jets (1994 and '95).
As a player, Harris spent eight seasons in the NFL. A first round draft pick (fifth overall) of the Philadelphia Eagles, he played three seasons with the Eagles before joining the Chicago Bears for a pair of seasons. He wrapped up his NFL career with a three-year stint as a member of the Seattle Seahawks.
Mike Working is a newcomer to the CFL. Between 1991 and 2005 he coached Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore, MD and won four straight championships between 1993 and â96.
Prior to that, Working filled a variety of roles at the University of Tulsa including offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and receivers coach. His prodigies included Miami Dolphins QB Gus Frerrotte and All-American wide receiver Dan Bitson. Working also coached at the collegiate level with Appalachian State University, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Tennessee-Knoxville and the United States Military Academy. His teams appeared in two Peach Bowls, the Gator Bowl, the Liberty Bowl, the Citrus Bowl and the Independence Bowl.
Working also spent three seasons on the staff of the NFL's Detroit Lions (1983-85) as the team's receivers and quality control coach. The Lions were NFC Central champions in 1983, the same year wide receiver Dennis Chadwick was named to the NFL's All-Rookie Team.
Canadian Football League Stories from February 8, 2006
- CFL Off-Season Transactions - CFL
- Hodgkinson promoted - Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- Renegades, NCAFA, To Form Partnership to Raise $100,000 For Minor Football - Ottawa Renegades
- Bombers finalize coaching staff - Winnipeg Blue Bombers
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