TORONTO – Chris Jones of the Edmonton Eskimos and Rick Campbell of the Ottawa Redblacks are the finalists for the CFL’s coach of the year award.
Jones led the Eskimos to a 14-4 record – tied with Calgary for the best in the CFL – to finish atop the West Division after beating the Stampeders in two of three regular-season meetings.
Ottawa (12-6) finished first in the East in its second year under Campbell after posting just two victories in its inaugural CFL
campaign.
This year’s top coach format is a change for the league.
Traditionally three finalists were named and the winner was honoured well after the Grey Cup game. Now the top coach will be unveiled with the other awards during Grey Cup week.
The CFL has also secured a partnership with AGF, a Canadian-based investment management firm, to sponsor the coach-of-the-year award.