Morris adds Spady, Walters and Boily to Golden Bears football staff

A week after being introduced as the Golden Bears football head coach, Chris Morris has begun to shape his coaching staff. Joining Morris on the sidelines for the 2013 season will be former Edmonton Eskimo Rick Walters (offensive coordinator), former Harry Ainlay Titans head coach, and Golden Bear alumnus, Danny Boily (defensive coordinator), while former Golden Bear and Edmonton Wildcats defensive line coach Barclay Spady has been named the program’s defensive line coach and amateur football liaison.

“The biggest thing about all of these guys is that they are excellent teachers and mentors of the game,” said Morris of his first three staff additions. “They all possess an outstanding knowledge and understanding of the game, but more importantly, they are all capable of breaking that knowledge down in a way that allows athletes to understand it, and in a way that allows them to develop into better athletes.”

Running the defensive line, and serving as the Golden Bears’ liaison to amateur football in the province of Alberta, will be Barclay Spady. He played defensive line for the Golden Bears from 1992 to 1996, earning all-Canadian status in 1995, and Canada West all-star honours in 1995 and 1996. He began coaching football in Alberta in 1997, including as the head coach of the Bev Facey Falcons in Sherwood Park (1999-2011), as the defensive line coach with the Edmonton Wildcats of the Prairie Football Conference, and in several stints with Football Alberta teams. While with Bev Facey, he guided the Falcons to six city championships and four Northern Alberta Tier 1 High School championships, and he named was the Football Alberta Frank Morris Tier 1 High School Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2005. He was also recently named to the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Team World staff.

“Coach Spady brings over a decade of high-level coaching and elite level athlete development to the Golden Bears,” noted Morris. “He has been successful on the field and in developing athletes in one of true football hotspots in Alberta, Sherwood Park. Along with his experiences in that community, coach Spady has worked with both provincial and national teams as a coach and has been responsible for the development of hundreds of athletes to an elite level.”

Spady will also work closely with all amateur football organizations in Northern Alberta, particularly minor football, in an effort to support the volunteer coaching staffs in those organizations, and to assist in the development of the sport through camps and clinics.

“The Golden Bears can only become sustainably successful if all levels of football in Edmonton, particularly the minor and amateur levels, are successful as well. We need to support the great work already being done by countless volunteer coaches throughout the province,” continued Morris. “Both Barclay and I are going to spend a lot of time facilitating relationships and mentorships between the U of A and minor football programs. Barclay is very well respected and known in the Alberta football community so it is a natural fit to have him playing a significant role in fostering these relationships.”

Also hailing from the Golden Bear alumni ranks is new defensive coordinator Danny Boily. He holds two degrees from the U of A (bachelor of physical education and recreation, and bachelor of education) and played defensive back for the Golden Bears from 1995 to 1999. He has spent the last eight years as the head coach of the Harry Ainlay Titans program, guiding them to three city championships (2009, 2010 and 2011), two Northern championships (2010 and 2011) and one provincial championship title (2011). He was named the Football Alberta Frank Morris Tier 1 High School Coach of the Year in 2011.

“Coach Boily brings outstanding defensive football expertise to the Bears, as well as an understanding of how to build an elite football program,” noted Morris, who coached alongside Boily at Harry Ainlay for the past four years.

Walters, who is originally from Jamaica, is a graduate of Archbishop O’Leary High School in Edmonton and Simon Fraser University, where he played with the Clan when they competed in the NCAA. He went on to play 11 years as a slotback in the Canadian Football League, including five years with the Edmonton Eskimos (1999 – 2003). While with the Eskimos Walters won a Grey Cup, alongside Morris, in 2003 and he was the recipient of the Tom Pate Memorial Award for outstanding community service in 2001. He previously coached with the Golden Bears in 2006, serving as a receiver’s coach. He was most recently the head coach and offensive coordinator of the Edmonton Huskies of the Prairie Football Conference. He also works for the Government of Alberta as Manager of Special Projects, including the 2009 Grey Cup (Calgary), the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, and the 2010 Grey Cup (Edmonton).

“Rick is well known as a great offensive football mind in the City of Edmonton and the greater Alberta football community,” said Morris. “He believes in a high-tempo game plan, that involves multiple formations, and he will create one of most dynamic offensive systems in CIS.”