SURREY — Buck Pierce has been to plenty of training camps.
This spring will be different.
After decades as a player and on CFL sidelines, Pierce is preparing for his first season as head coach of the B.C. Lions.
"Every off-season is different," the former quarterback said Monday. "This has been a change for me, but it's been exciting. It's been great."
Hired at the beginning of December to lead the Lions, Pierce will move into a new phase of his coaching career Wednesday when Lions' rookies and quarterbacks report to training camp in Kamloops, B.C. The rest of the team will join them Sunday.
The following four weeks will be about setting a standard for the team to build on all season, Pierce said.
"Training camp isn’t just about Xs and Os and running plays that are drawn up on the board," he said. "It’s about finding out who you are as a team and being closer as teammates. And that’s the message we’re going to send.”
There are still several roster spots up for grabs ahead of the season, Pierce added.
“Training camp’s for competition and guys are going to be here to compete," he said. "And I think that’s the exciting part for everybody.”
The former offensive coordinator for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers replaces former head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell, who was dismissed after the Lions finished the 2024 campaign with a 9-9 record and lost to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the West Division semifinal.
That result left the group hungry heading into this season, said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
"I think what we’ve proven to ourselves over the last couple of years, whether I’ve been here or not, is that it’s not about how we start, it’s about how we finish and we just haven’t done that well enough," he said.
"And we’re bringing in a staff that knows how to finish and knows how to win those big games. And we’ve got to figure out a way to come out of the West, because there’s no other way around it.”
Rourke is B.C.'s undisputed No. 1 heading into the season.
The 26-year-old Canadian wasn't on the roster to start last year as he worked to find a permanent home in the NFL. After returning to B.C., he posted a 3-5 record as a starter, sharing minutes with Vernon Adams Jr. when the veteran returned from injury.
The Lions dealt Adams to the Calgary Stampeders after the season wrapped.
Rourke spent his off-season in Metro Vancouver, training with several Lions teammates and trying to get some downtime with his wife, Emily. Now he's looking forward to getting back to work under a new head coach.
"(Pierce has) been great. It’s been great to work with him, to get to know him. He’s excited, he’s ready to go. It’s been fun to be around," the QB said.
"Obviously, I’ve got a lot of respect for him, for what he’s been able to accomplish as a coach, what he’s done as a player as well. I think his story is cool, to start here (as a player) and then come back and coach here.”
Pierce's knowledge of the game comes across in the way he coaches, said Lions receiver Justin McInnis.
“You can tell he’s a football guy. He understands the game. He played quarterback, so he knows a lot," said McInnis, who had a league-leading 1,469 yards last year with seven touchdowns.
"Just hearing the way he speaks and what he wants from this offence, he has faith in us. … So I’m really excited to work with him this year. I think he has a great mindset and he’s going to use us all really well.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2025.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
