CFL great Paopao joins SFU Clan

BURNABY, BC – Former BC Lion quarterback and head coach Joe Paopao has been appointed offensive coordinator of the Simon Fraser University football team, Clan head coach Kelly Bates announced today.

Paopao brings 25 years of coaching experience to the Clan and he has been a head coach in both the Canadian Football League and in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).

“We are very fortunate to bring into our program someone with Joe’s experience to help teach and mentor our young athletes,” said Bates. “Joe has accomplished a lot in football and he’s going to have a positive impact on our athletes and he’s going to help us build a successful program here at SFU.”

Bates and Paopao were position coaches with the BC Lions in 2014.

“I am excited to work with Kelly to create a culture here at Simon Fraser where student athletes can excel on the field and in life,” said Paopao. “My goal as a coach and mentor is to help our student athletes graduate on time and to give them an experience of a lifetime. I really believe their four or five years here are going to impact the next 40 years of their life and I enjoy being part of that process. To know that I can impact their growth in a positive way as they move on in their journey is very rewarding.”

Bates also announced that he has retained Bryan Wyllie as linebackers coach/recruiting co-coordinator/special teams coordinator,Michael Lionello as director of football operations/recruiting co-coordinator/running backs coach/video coordinator and Jon Klyne as receivers coach.

Bates is in the process of finalizing the remainder of his coaching staff.

Paopao was head coach of the BC Lions during the 1996 season and the Ottawa Renegades from 2002-2005. He has also been an offensive coordinator with the Lions, Edmonton Eskimos, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and Hamilton Tiger Cats.

Paopao was head coach of the University of Waterloo for two seasons (2012-2014) and offensive coordinator for four seasons (2007-2011).

Paopao played 11 seasons in the CFL for the BC Lions, Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Ottawa Rough Riders before retiring as a player to become offensive backfield coach of the Lions in 1989, the start of his coaching career. He was nicknamed the “Throwin’ Samoan” during his playing days for his exceptional passing ability and was inducted onto the BC Lions Wall of Fame in 2007.

A native of Honolulu, Hawaii, Paopao attended Long Beach State before beginning his CFL career as a quarterback for the BC Lions in 1978.

Bates, a native of Humboldt, SK, now living in Coquitlam, BC, was named the 10th head coach in the history of the SFU football program on February 26, 2015. Bates enjoyed an 11-year Canadian Football League career, eight of those with the BC Lions, before becoming the team’s running backs coach and Canadian Draft coordinator.

Bates replaced Jacques Chapdelaine, who left the university to become offensive coordinator of the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL. Chapdelaine coached the Clan to a 2-9 record in 2014, his only season as head coach at SFU.

Simon Fraser is Canada’s only university competing in NCAA where student-athletes get access to the NCAA athletic experience and a Canadian education.

The Clan is currently in spring training with practices scheduled for:

March 26 – 5:00 p.m.
March 28 – 2:00 p.m.
March 30 – 5:00 p.m.
March 31 – 5:00 p.m.
April 2 – 5:00 p.m.

The team will hold its controlled spring scrimmage on April 4 at 2:00 PM.

Source: Steve Frost, Simon Fraser Clan Sports Information