Changes in the staff of the Edmonton Eskimos continued Wednesday with the dismissal of offensive line coach Jeff Bleamer and the hiring of Mark Nelson and Tim Prinsen.
The announcement follows the resignation Tuesday of linebackers coach Dan Kepley.
Nelson assumes the role of linebackers coach, and Prinsen takes over the offensive line.
Nelson brings to the Eskimos 23 years of coaching experience in both the CFL and NCAA. Last season, the Edmonton native was on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers coaching staff serving as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. He made his professional football coaching debut in 1992 as the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach for the Edmonton Eskimos. He spent three years with the Green and Gold from 1992 to 1994, winning a Grey Cup with the team in 1993. The former CFL player has also won a Grey Cup as the defensive line coach with the Toronto Argonauts in 1996.
Prinsen returns to the Eskimos in a coaching capacity. The former Eskimo centre makes his professional coaching debut overseeing the Eskimos offensive line. The Edmonton native spent the last four seasons with the University of Alberta as the offensive line coach. He recently was a guest coach at the Eskimos 2010 training camp. The eight-year CFL lineman spent five years with the Eskimos as starting centre, winning a Grey Cup with the team in 2003.
Bleamer joined the Eskimos in 2009 after spending the previous two years with the Hamilton Tiger Cats.
In announcing Bleamer’s dismissal, head coach Richie Hall says, “We would like to thank Jeff for his time here with the Edmonton Eskimos. He is a great coach and a great man, and we wish for him only the best in the future.”
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