The way the Dyce roll

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This article was published 11/12/2022 (1021 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There was a time Bob Dyce might have scoffed at the idea of coaching a football team, yet the Winnipegger is now responsible for running a CFL squad.

Dyce, 57, was officially handed the head-coaching reins of the Ottawa Redblacks a week ago. He’d held the interim tag since late in the 2022 season.

But things could have gone in an entirely different direction for Dyce after college.

On the heels of a playing career that initially took the receiver south of the border to Allan Hancock College (Santa Maria, Calif.) and then back home to the University of Manitoba Bisons, Dyce swapped his cleats to pursue a career in sales.

Despite some uncertainty about whether he had the right stuff to coach, Dyce agreed to join the staff of the St. Vital Mustangs of the Canadian Junior Football League in 1992. He would remain in the league for four seasons, including a pair with each of the Mustangs and Winnipeg Hawkeyes.

Things really took off in 1996 when he rejoined the Bisons, this time as a receivers coach. Over the next six seasons, under the tutelage of head coach Brian Dobie, Dyce would, in his own words, “build his foundation” for a sustainable career.

“It’s kind of the bug,” Dyce told the Free Press recently. “Probably the biggest thing I realized is it’s not just the football knowledge but it’s the relationship building, and building the trust between yourself and the players.

“That’s going to bring out the best in them.”

Nearly 30 years after taking his first gig, Dyce is now the third head coach in Redblacks franchise history. The new title won’t garner much in the way of a change in scenery, however, as he was in the nation’s capital as the team’s special teams coordinator since 2016.

He replace former head coach Paul LaPolice, who was fired after a 34-19 loss to the B.C. Lions on Sept. 30 that dropped Ottawa’s record to 3-11. The Redblacks won their first game under Dyce, a 24-18 decision over the Montreal Alouettes, before ending the season on a three-game losing streak.

The one-win record was hardly indicative of the impact Dyce has had during his time with the organization. Since his arrival, the Redblacks have been strong in the game’s special-teams phase, allowing just six return touchdowns (best in the CFL over that nearly seven-year stretch) and boasting a plus-12 margin in big-play returns.

With Dyce on staff, Ottawa captured the Grey Cup in his first season (2016) and reached the final in 2018.

“When I switched to special teams, it wasn’t something that was a career plan,” Dyce said, adding “but I always say it was one of the best things to happen in my career. When you’re the special-teams coordinator, you address the whole team. So, you have to build relationships across the board.”

By his own admittion, the skill of coaching didn’t come naturally. But Dyce immersed himself in his work and fine-tuned his craft, while learning from seasoned vets.

“One of the biggest things for why I’ve been able to be successful in this business is the people I’ve worked with,” he said. “I think when you’ve been around good people, you pick up on their traits.”

Dyce broke into the CFL in 2003 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as a running backs coach (where he would remain for seven years), before moving on to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

In 2015, the Riders addressed a pressing need for more skill on the roster with the sixth-overall pick, adding receiver Nic Demski, a Swiss army knife from the U of M. Dyce, entering his third season as the Riders’ special teams coordinator, was the one to deliver the good news to the fellow Winnipegger.

“He’s been there since the very start of my CFL career,” said Demski, now a Blue Bombers receiver. “It’s pretty funny how things work like that. He was an awesome coach. Not only is he a pretty good X’s and O’s guy but he also makes great relationships in football. When somebody can do that as a coach, a lot of people want to play for him, want to work hard for him and want to go out there and dog it out for him.

“He definitely has a lot of players’ respect in the locker room, from what I can remember.”

Demski and Dyce worked closely during their only year together. While the young playmaker got some running plays on offence, Dyce entrusted the rookie to be the team’s primary returner.

“Just thinking back on my time in Saskatchewan with him, one thing I always remember is his door was always open and even when everything wasn’t going perfect for us that year, he always made a point to reach out to me and, mentally, make sure I was still good to go,” Demski recalled.

“He was part of the reason I got my first chance in the CFL to start making plays. I definitely owe a lot to him for that.”

In an age where diversity has taken precedence in much of the conversation around hiring for positions in power — especially in sports — it’s easy to see the significance of Dyce’s hiring.

While the CFL has historically been ahead of the curve in the way of representation among coaches and front office, Dyce joins Hamilton’s Orlando Steinauer as the only people of colour heading a team in three-down football.

“It certainly means a lot to me,” Dyce said, adding when he first came into the league, he took note of a Roughriders organization that consisted of Roy Shivers (general manager), Danny Barrett (head coach) and Richie Hall (defensive coordinator), who are all black.

“For me, there was a sense of pride in that. It was something I aspired to and wanted to work to get to that point. To realize that certainly means a lot to me and more so for the fact that it helps young people of colour, allowing them to know that, ‘If I do things right, there is this opportunity.’”

Dyce has quickly formed his own staff, hiring Khari Jones as his offensive coordinator and Barron Miles to head the defence. Alex Suber, another minority, will continue to coach the receivers.

“As I put together my staff, (I wanted) to make sure I had men of character, men that were great football coaches, great communicators and great leaders,” Dyce said.

“Now if you ask me if I want to make sure there’s (ethnic) representation on my staff — 100 per cent. I think representation is the best way for youth to see what they can do. You can talk about doing a million things, but until people see it, I think that bears stronger.”

jfreysam@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jfreysam