Dave Dickenson weighing coaching changes, plans to be back with Calgary Stampeders

Photo: Samantha Keen/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

Head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson has begun his preparations for the 2027 season, even as his future with the Calgary Stampeders remains unclear.

“The plan is to be back and be better next year,” Dickenson told the media on Saturday. “There’s going to be change; there always is. I think I have a heck of a staff, but to make changes, you have to have a better person in mind. Change just to do it, in my mind, isn’t the right thing. We understand that 9-9 wasn’t good enough, and next year we have to give ourselves the best chance to win more games.”

Dickenson was not asked directly whether he has been told he will return next season. Stampeders president Jay McNeil was not in attendance for locker room cleanout day, nor was he made available for comment.

The Stampeders were officially eliminated from postseason contention on Friday night, despite finishing in a tie with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at 9-9. They are just the second team to miss the playoffs with nine wins since the implementation of the crossover, with seven of their losses coming by one-score margins.

Dickenson indicated that all aspects of the club’s personnel and coaching staff will be evaluated in light of the disappointing result.

“It’s tough. You’re graded on how it goes and results,” he said. “What I want to do is I want to speak to each coach. I want to speak to the players. I want to hear what they have to say. I’m not interested in necessarily too much bitching, but I also understand. I want to know if the players were not maybe getting the information they needed, or were they not on the same page. Did they feel that the coaches made them better on a daily basis? Did they get the clues and the hints to help them be the best they can be?”

“Same thing personnel-wise; sometimes we had some success with some guys, and maybe it doesn’t translate year to year. Why? And then try to figure out and get the best roster you can. Coaching-wise, we’ll look at everything. I do feel like everybody put the work in, but it’s still a results-based business, myself included. We’ve gotta gotta try to be our best.”

After scoring a league-leading 632 total points, the most by the franchise in over 30 years, it would appear one side of the ball will be under greater scrutiny than the other.

“Offensively, I thought we gave ourselves the chance to win almost every single game,” Dickenson said. “Maybe there was one game we weren’t at our level, but other than that, I thought we did a lot of good things. Just hard when you’re not finding the wins at the end of the day.”

Dickenson has served as the Stampeders’ head coach since 2016, adding general manager duties in 2023. He has posted a 104-69-3 record, winning a Grey Cup in 2018. That marked the team’s last playoff victory, and they have finished at or below .500 in three of the past four seasons.

A CFL record 19-year streak of postseason qualification came to an end in 2024, but Calgary rebounded in 2025. Now, they are on the outside looking in yet again.

Despite the team’s recent results, Dickenson gave no indication that he intends to relinquish either of his current titles if he is brought back.

“I enjoy the year. I enjoy the grind. I enjoy the process,” he insisted. “I do feel like there have to be ways to be better, but this year, if you’re playing in the East, you’re hosting a playoff game.”

“It just was one of those years where, man, it just didn’t quite align for you. There’s got to be reasons for it, I get that, but also I do think that there’s a good foundation here. I like the people we work with and our club. It’s just unfortunate we’re not part of the playoffs, especially with the Grey Cup here, but they can’t change history of the past. You can learn from it, but you can’t change it.”

McMahon Stadium will play host to one more game this year. The 113th Grey Cup will take place in Calgary on Sunday, November 15.