A familiar face is returning to the executive offices at Commonwealth Stadium as the Edmonton Elks announced Tuesday it has hired Ed Hervey to be the football club’s new general manager.
The hiring will see Hervey, 51, serve as Edmonton’s GM for the second time; the California native first served as the CFL club’s GM from 2013 to 2017 before he was let go by the team.
In 2015, Edmonton won a Grey Cup championship with Hervey at the helm.
“Ed embodies the core values that I’m looking for in Edmonton,” Elks president and CEO Chris Morris said in a news release. “He’s a man with a tremendous amount of integrity, who believes in consistency and continuity.
“He brings a wealth of experience working as a general manager in this league, but also understands the importance of innovating as we strive to be Grey Cup champions.”
The hiring of Hervey is part of a seachange within the Elks’ organization after the team missed the CFL playoffs again this year — the Elks have not made the post-season since 2019. Morris himself has only been on the job since late last month when he was first hired.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to work with Chris, a former teammate and someone who I respect and admire tremendously,” Hervey said. “I can’t ask for a better opportunity to come back to. Above everything else, Edmonton is home.
“When home calls, you answer it.”
The Elks announced Tuesday that Hervey will also serve as the club’s vice-president of football operations.
Since leaving Edmonton in 2017, Hervey spent two seasons working as GM for the B.C. Lions before later joining the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as an assistant general manager in 2021. Last year, he was promoted to be that club’s GM.
The Elks have scheduled a news conference to talk about the hiring for late Wednesday morning at Commonwealth Stadium.
As a player, Hervey was wide receiver who was named a CFL All-Star in 2001 and 2003. He finished his CFL playing career with 6,715 yards receiving on 476 receptions.
Hervey won Grey Cup championships when Morris and he were teammates in 2003 and 2005.
Hervey replaces Geroy Simon, who had served as interim GM for the Elks this season. Simon was asked to take over that role when the club fired GM and head coach Chris Jones after the team got off to an 0-5 start.
Jarious Jackson took over as interim head coach and the team put together a 7-6 record after the change.
Hervey will now need to decide who should serve as the Elks’ head coach going forward.
In August, Larry Thompson became the club’s first private owner. Prior to that, the franchise had been community-owned since its founding in 1949.