WINNIPEG — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have fired president and CEO Garth Buchko and replaced him with acting CEO Wade Miller.
Miller, a Winnipeg businessman and former Blue Bomber, made his first order of business firing general manager Joe Mack.
Blue Bombers board chairman Brock Bulbuck announced Buchko’s firing and his replacement at a 10 a.m. news conference at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg.
“Clearly things have not been going in the right direction and our record speaks for itself,” Bulbuck said.
The Bombers are currently in last in the CFL East Division with a 1-5 record in their new stadium.
That’s not acceptable, Miller said.
“The fans, the players, the organization deserve to win,” he said.
Miller threw his support behind Bombers head coach Tim Burke.
“Coach Burke is the coach of this football team going forward,” he said. “I’m going to work with (assistant general manager) Kyle (Walters) and Coach Burke and we are going to figure out what we need to do.”
Miller appeared in 167 career games over 11 seasons with Winnipeg after being selected in the fourth round of the 1995 CFL draft by the club. Twice an East Division all-star, Miller is the franchise leader in special-teams tackles with 184 and twice led the league in that category.
Mack joined the Bombers in 2010 as GM and vice-president of football operations. The club reached the Grey Cup in 2011 but missed the playoffs last year with a 6-12 record.
The Bombers were 21-39 during Mack’s tenure. Buchko has only been with the team since March 2012.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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