Canadian Football Hall of Fame defensive lineman Leroy Blugh has been named the defensive line coach at Queen’s University.
The 56-year-old played 15 seasons in the CFL with Edmonton (1989-2000) and Toronto (2001-03), recording 333 total tackles and 77 sacks. The two-time CFL West Division all-star won the Grey Cup with Edmonton in 1993 and was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian in 1996.
“Coach Blugh is a tremendous addition to our program, he’s one of the top Canadian defensive line coaches on the planet and a fantastic human being,” said Queen’s head coach Steve Snyder in a statement.
“Anytime you can bring on a Canadian Football Hall of Famer, former professional coach, Grey Cup champion that is a special opportunity for any program, so we are certainly excited.”
Blugh coached at his alma mater of Bishop’s University for seven years (2004-10) and won the QUFL Coach of the Year award in 2007. He was an assistant for two years at Queen’s (2011-12) before returning to the CFL as the defensive line coach for Edmonton (2013), Ottawa (2014-19), and B.C. (2020).
He won the Grey Cup in 2016 as a member of the Redblacks coaching staff.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Queen’s and working with the football team. What I liked about Queen’s was being at home and being able to coach football, and of course, being able to work with young athletes. And help us win, of course,” said Blugh.
“I just really want to bring my experience [to the team]. There are some great players and you have to respect what they know and how they’ve been coached. I just want to add on and help to make them better. That’s the goal for everyone in all of our jobs as coaches, to help athletes to be better.”
The Gaels will open their OUA regular season on Saturday, Aug. 27 at 3 p.m. against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues.
