Building on keystones of continuity and excellence, the Ottawa Sports & Entertainment Group has reached multi-year contract extensions with Marcel Desjardins, General Manager of the Ottawa REDBLACKS, and head coach Rick Campbell.
Desjardins served as architect of the Canadian Football League team from its very inception, establishing a formidable core group of coaches, players and football operations staff.
Following the inaugural 2014 season in the Canadian Football League, Desjardins made several key player acquisitions early in 2015, including receivers Greg Ellingson, Brad Sinopoli, Ernest Jackson Chris Williams and Maurice Price, and offensive lineman SirVincent Rogers.
The new players meshed brilliantly with the core group, which included quarterback Henry Burris, who was signed as a free agent by Desjardins in February of 2014.
Under the guidance of Campbell, Burris led the club to a first-place in the CFL East and beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a dramatic Eastern Final to advance to the Grey Cup in only the franchise’s second season.
Campbell guided the REDBLACKS to 12 wins in 2015, the most ever by any Ottawa CFL team during one regular season. The coach’s efforts were recognized during Grey Cup week in Winnipeg last month when he was named the AGF CFL Coach of the Year.
“Both Marcel and Rick are top-quality football men who have established a culture of excellence within our football organization,” said Jeff Hunt, President of Sports with OSEG. “The results speak for themselves. We know that we’ll succeed with Marcel and Rick, which is great news for our organization and for our fans.”
Desjardins joined the REDBLACKS in January 2013, the first employee of the football team.
“Continuity is important for a football team. It helps us build on our past successes while establishing a winning tradition in Ottawa,” said Desjardins. “I’m thankful to the REDBLACKS ownership group for giving me the opportunity to be part of that process. To be able to work with a quality group of people on both the football and business sides of OSEG is what makes my job so fulfilling.”
Campbell joined the REDBLACKS in December of 2013, just days ahead of the 2013 CFL Expansion Draft (December 16).
“We have a solid group of coaches and players here in Ottawa and we’re all committed to the long-term success of the franchise,” said Campbell. “This is a great football city, our players love playing here and other players and coaches around the CFL have taken notice of that.”
