A graduate of Port Moody Secondary School’s long-gone football program is now Rider Pride.
Corey Mace, who played for the Blues before heading to Palomar College in California then transferred two years later to Wyoming University, is the new head coach of the Canadian Football League’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.
"Saskatchewan is an incredibly special place," Mace told the team's official website, riderville.com. “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.”
Roughriders general manager and vice president of football operations, Jeremy O'Day, said he was immediately impressed by Mace. "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,”
Mace, 37, ascends to the Riders’ top job after working as the defensive coordinator for the Toronto Argonauts the past two seasons. In fact, he just signed a contract extension in October to stay there.
Mace joined the coaching ranks with the Calgary Stampeders in 2015, after he retired from his playing career that began in 2007 with the Buffalo Bills.
The defensive tackle and former second round draft pick of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed with the National Football League team as a free agent. He played three games and recorded one tackle in his two seasons there.
In 2008, Mace was acquired by the Hamilton Tiger Cats and the next year, following a contract dispute, he was dealt to the Argonauts.
But Mace opted to try his luck again with the Bills, signing with the team in 2009. He spent much of the season on the practice squad but eventually appeared in two games near the end of the season.
The next stop for Mace was the Calgary Stampeders, who acquired his CFL rights from the Argos in 2010. He played eight games that season and even scored a touchdown after recovering a fumble and running the ball 60 yards into the end zone.
The following season, Mace tore his achilles tendon in the Stamps’ first game and he missed the rest of the campaign. but the following year he had 25 tackles and one sack.
Mace was part of Calgary’s Grey Cup-winning team in 2014 but he missed the entire 2015 season because of an injury and decided to retire at its conclusion. He then joined the team’s sideline staff as its defensive line coach.
Mace was with the team when it won the 2018 Grey Cup as well as the Argos’ championship squad in 2022.
The Roughriders fired head coach Craig Dickenson in October after the team won just six of its 18 games last season. He guided the team for four seasons.
