Rumour Roundup: Top candidates for Carleton’s head coaching job

The Carleton Ravens are almost ready to announce whom they’ve hired as head coach of their reinstated football program, but university officials remain tight-lipped regarding the identity of the man who will be introduced as the new top honcho later this month.

The Ravens set this month as their target date for determining who will don the clipboard and call the shots when the Ravens begin competing in OUA Football in 2013. The selection process started in November, and a handful of former CIS and CFL coaches are rumoured to be interested in the job.

Based on who’s been spotted around campus and some reliable sources, here are the top candidates for the gig.

Steve Sumarah
Sumarah was surprisingly let go by the St. Mary’s University last month after 13 successful seasons on Huskies coaching staff, including the past seven as head coach. As offensive coordinator between 1998-2005 he helped the Huskies earn four Vanier Cup berths, win two national championships, and as head coach brought the Huskies to the national title game once in 2007. He compiled a 42-18 record as head coach, winning four straight AUS Championships between 2007-2010 and three AUS coach of the year awards. Sumarah was the CIS coach of the year in 2009. Last season, Sumarah’s Huskies went 6-2 and ranked second out of the country’s 26 teams in points scored, while allowing the fifth least points on defence. It’s hard to believe his firing was due to his performance, and was likely because of an internal dispute. Sumarah reportedly met with Carleton officials for at least two interviews and is likely the top candidate.

Leroy Blugh
Blugh is a former CFL defensive lineman who played fifteen seasons for the Eskimos and the Argos. He won the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian award in 1996, was selected to two All-Star teams and won the Grey Cup in 1993. Blugh was the head coach of Bishop’s University between 2005-2010 but stepped down for personal and family reasons. He went 2-14 in his first two years as head coach but then led the Gaiters to winning records in three of his final four seasons, going 18-15 in that span. He won the QUFL’s coach of the year award in 2007, but that would be the only season in which his Gaiters scored more points than they allowed. He joined the Queen’s University football staff last year as the defensive lines coach and helped the Gaels achieve a 6-2 record.

Greg Marshall
Marshall played nine seasons in the CFL as a defensive lineman with the Ottawa Rough Riders before embarking on a coaching career at age 37. He first joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders as their defensive line coach in 1994, then moved to Edmonton and eventually ascended to the defensive coordinator’s position. In 2005 he served as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach for the Ottawa Renegades, followed by stints in Winnipeg and Hamilton. Last year, he was finally offered a head coaching gig by Saskatchewan, but after a horrid 1-7 start, he was fired mid season. Nonetheless, Marshall built up a reputation as one of the most respected assistant coaches in the CFL and has plenty of professional experience.

Kyle Walters
Walters is also a former CFL player, contributing mainly on special teams to the Hamilton Tiger Cats in the late 1990’s and winning a Grey Cup in 1999. Walters joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ coaching staff in 2010 as the special teams coordinator and helped lead the team to a Grey Cup appearance last season. Beforehand, Walters spent four seasons as the head coach with the University of Guelph football program, where he led the Gryphons to a 13-18-1 record.

Marcel Bellefeuille
There are unconfirmed rumours on both ends of the spectrum regarding the former coach of the Hamilton Tiger Cats, with some saying Bellefeuille has been interviewed for the Carleton job and others saying he’s not interested in coaching CIS football. Nonetheless, Bellefeuille would be a top-notch candidate considering he won the Vanier Cup in 2000 with the Ottawa Gee Gees as head coach and spent the last decade coaching in the CFL. He was fired by the Ticats after posting a 27-35 record in four seasons, but helped them reach the East Division final last season.

Carleton remains committed to confidentiality throughout the selection process and seems pretty content on keeping everyone guessing. The school has conducted the business of their football program extremely carefully and professionally, looking to press the right buttons to build a successful program. They have a committed and passionate alumni society with a decent-sized purse to get the program rolling. Don’t be surprised if one of these men finds themselves on the podium in a press conference later this month.