Less than two weeks after announcing Ed Hervey was returning to Edmonton to become the general manager of the Elks, the football club has revealed that former Calgary Stampeders special teams co-ordinator and assistant head coach Mark Kilam will be its new head coach.
Kilam spent 20 years with the Stampeders and helped the CFL club win three Grey Cup championships before parting ways with the team this fall.
“Mark has been preparing for the opportunity to be a CFL head coach for years and brings not only a wealth of experience, but tremendous enthusiasm to everything he does,” Hervey said in a news release. “Players want to play for Mark, and coaches across the league respect his abilities and approach.
“We’re all excited to benefit from Mark’s energy and the collective strength of the coaching staff we’re working to assemble. I know he’s the right person for this job and this moment, as we build a championship organization.”
Kilam, 45, is a graduate of the University of Alberta’s physical education program and played as a linebacker for the Golden Bears from 1997 to 2001.
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“It’s an honour and a privilege to be named head coach of the Edmonton Elks and I’m incredibly excited to put our vision into action,” Kilam said. “The EE are an icon of the CFL and I couldn’t be more proud to represent the Green and Gold, Edmonton, and all of northern Alberta.”
At a news conference at Commonwealth Stadium on Monday, Hervey said the process of hiring the Elks’ 25th head coach in history was one that required “many boxes that needed to be checked in order for this opportunity to be presented.”
He noted that many coaches expressed interest in the position, but that aside from just his impressive resume, Kilam’s energy and the respect he has from players stood out in particular.
“The thing that stood out the most, was the overwhelming amount of support from the players that he has coached and the lives that he’s touched,” Hervey explained. “There was not one candidate that the players were more excited about than Mark.”
“It’s a privilege and an honour,” Kilam told reporters, noting that the first CFL game he ever saw was at Commonwealth Stadium when he was about six years old. “The team’s going to take on an identity that the people of this city can resonate with. This is a city that is not afraid to work hard. This is a city that has grit and a city that has a chip on its shoulder to succeed — and that’s what we’re going to be about.
“We’re going to be a team that’s built tough, that’s built for the cold. … We’re going to commit to a style of winning football — whatever it takes, each and every week.”
Kilam, who at times appeared emotional about the opportunity he has been given, had a message for Elks fans who have endured multiple difficult seasons.
“I know you are starving for this program to succeed,” he said. “We’re going to rep this city and rep these colours with pride.
“We’re going to stand on the shoulders of the people that built this place, and represent the double E the right way.”
Kilam’s career with the Stampeders began in 2005 when he was brought in to be that team’s strength and conditioning coach. He took over as special teams coordinator in 2010 and also served as Calgary’s assistant head coach since 2019.
Kilam takes over head coaching duties from Jarious Jackson. Jackson was named Edmonton’s interim head coach in the middle of the 2024 season when the Elks fired Chris Jones after an 0-5 start. Jackson put together a 7-6 record in his brief time coaching the team but the Elks still missed the playoffs. The club has not qualified for the CFL’s post-season since 2019.
This year has been one of transformation for the Elks. Not only have Hervey and Kilam been hired to lead the club, but Chris Morris was hired as its new president and CEO last month and Larry Thompson became the organization’s new owner in August.
Kilam spoke to reporters about the synergy that exists between him, Morris and Hervey.
“You can feel the passion that they have,” he said. “You throw in a little Mark Kilam energy to that and it’s an explosive mix.”
The Elks have faced challenges on and off the field in recent years, highlighted by a 22-game home losing streak between 2019 and 2023, and a noticeable drop in attendance that saw the club close the upper bowl of Commonwealth Stadium to fans ahead of the 2024 season.
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