Mark Kilam touts Rick Campbell as ‘awesome’ addition amid Edmonton Elks turnaround

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There have been no bruised toes on the Edmonton Elks’ sideline this season. Mark Kilam and Rick Campbell have been working perfectly in lockstep.

The hiring of Campbell, a former Grey Cup champion head coach, as a coaching analyst raised some eyebrows in the offseason, causing some to wonder if Kilam was on the hot seat. However, Edmonton’s fiery bench boss had only positive things to say about his impact when asked during his regular appearance on Edmonton Sports Talk this week.

“We’re just really happy that he’s here,” Kilam said. “We do these game management studies every week, him and I. We go through every single game, all the critical decisions, end-of-half, two-point plays, all these things. From a personal level, for me, it’s been awesome. You’re bringing so much experience into the building.”

Campbell previously served as the head coach of the Ottawa Redblacks (2014-19) and B.C. Lions (2020-24), posting an 82-92-2 regular-season record, winning CFL Coach of the Year in 2015, and helping lead Ottawa to a victory in the 104th Grey Cup.

The 55-year-old’s resumé features 27 years of CFL coaching experience, 10 of which came in two previous stints in Green and Gold. As the son of legendary Edmonton head coach Hugh Campbell and a graduate of Harry Ainlay High School, he also has strong ties to the city.

Campbell’s unique job description upon returning to Edmonton seemed explicitly designed to compensate for Kilam’s own lack of experience as a leading man. Given his previous history with general manager Ed Hervey, who hired him in B.C., there were questions as to whether he would just be looking over the head coach’s shoulder or actively breathing down his neck.

It doesn’t appear that has been an issue thus far, and Edmonton’s 10-4 record speaks for itself. According to Kilam, Campbell has been an invaluable resource to him and all of his coordinators during their impressive turnaround.

“He’s doing the same thing with J.C. (Sherritt) and Jordan (Maksymic), and Des (Catellier. The full staff is benefiting from having him in here,” he said. “It’s just net positive. I can’t give you totally all the specifics, but I can tell you that it’s been a great addition this year.”

The Edmonton Elks (10-4) will host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (4-10) on Saturday, September 26, with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Tabbies lost to the Montreal Alouettes last week, while the Elks narrowly lost to the Toronto Argonauts.

The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on the Ticats Audio Network in Hamilton or 880 CHED in Edmonton.