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VANCOUVER — The BC Lions have found their new head coach.
The Lions have officially ushered in a new era on the sidelines as the team announced the hiring of Buck Pierce as the franchise’s 28th head coach in its 70-year history.
“Buck was a candidate we identified early in this process as someone who is ready to step in and lead our franchise,” said general manager Ryan Rigmaiden. “His track record in the Canadian Football League as both a player and a coach says it all. We are excited and proud to bring him back to the BC Lions as our 28th head coach.”
“I’m extremely excited and honoured to take this next step in my coaching career with the organization that originally brought me here nearly 20 years ago,” added Pierce. “My sincere thanks go out to Mr. Doman, Duane Vienneau, Neil McEvoy, Ryan Rigmaiden and the entire organization for instilling their belief that I can lead this great franchise. The building blocks are in place here and we look forward to getting to work as we strive to bring the Grey Cup back to British Columbia.”
The news comes after former head coach Rick Campbell was relieved of his duties on November 20.
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Buck Pierce chats with Zach Collaros during a practice in Vancouver ahead of the 111th Grey Cup (Thomas Skrlj/CFL.ca)
The 43-year-old Pierce returns to where his CFL journey started after spending ten seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, first as running backs coach (2014-15), then quarterbacks coach (2016-19) and offensive coordinator (2021-24). Pierce’s Blue Bomber stint included a pair of Grey Cup victories (2019, 2021) and five consecutive West Division championships (2019, 2021-24).
Under Pierce’s guidance, Zach Collaros won CFL Most Outstanding Player in 2021 and 2022 while Brady Oliveira took home Most Outstanding Canadian in 2023 and 2024 and this season became the first Canadian to win Most Outstanding Player since Jon Cornish in 2013. The Blue Bomber offence was tops in the CFL in many major categories in 2023 including offensive touchdowns, points per game, net offence and rushing yards.
After taking over as quarterbacks coach in 2016, Pierce helped mould Matt Nichols into one of the league’s most dynamic pivots as Nichols moved into the top ten on Winnipeg’s all-time passing list.
As a player, Pierce enjoyed an outstanding college career at New Mexico State (2001-04) where he twice broke the single-season program record for completion percentage before signing with the Lions as a free agent on May 16, 2005. He emerged from his first professional training camp with a spot on the active roster before making one start in his rookie campaign.
Following the departure of Casey Printers to the NFL ahead of 2006, Pierce was elevated to the number two quarterback spot behind Dave Dickenson and earned six starts in year two before winning his first championship ring when the Lions took down Montreal in the 94th Grey Cup.
Pierce was traded to the Blue Bombers ahead of the 2010 season and would lead the team to an appearance in the 99th Grey Cup the next year. He finished his career back with the Lions following a trade in September 2013.
Pierce sits tenth on the club’s all-time list with 8,964 passing yards while his 713 completions are good for eighth spot. In 35 regular season starts with the Lions, the club held a record of 22-12-1.
Born in Hutchinson, Kansas and raised in Crescent City, California Pierce married his wife Lori, a native of Winnipeg, in 2014. They have two children: a daughter Bailey and a son Bo.
The Lions went 9-9 in 2024 and earned their way to the Western Semi-Final where they ultimately lost to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.