Vancouver (with files from BC Lions) – The BC Lions Football Club announced on Tuesday that DeVone Claybrooks has been named the organization’s 26th head coach in its 65-year history.
This was one of the worst kept football secrets and he was spotted in Vancouver over the weekend, and the rumours of his availability came up during Grey Cup week in Edmonton.
Claybrooks joins the Lions after serving on the coaching staff of the Grey Cup-champion Calgary Stampeders for the past seven years; most recently as the team’s defensive coordinator dating back to 2016.
“DeVone has been on the coaching radar of many teams for the past number of years and I believe he is the very best candidate to lead our team,” said GM Ed Hervey. “After hours of meetings and discussions I know he is the perfect coach to usher in what is going to be a new era of success here in British Columbia.”
He is considered a players coach, although no nonsense at the same time.
Coming off a convincing win over Ottawa in the 106th Grey Cup less than three weeks ago, Calgary’s Claybrooks-led defence held down top spot in 10 of 20 critical defensive categories tracked by the league in 2018 and placed in the top three of five others.
For the past three seasons, the former lineman has overseen the CFL’s stingiest defence which also set the league standard for fewest points against over that same time period and produced no fewer than 12 CFL All-Stars.
A native of Virginia, the 41-year-old former defensive lineman attended East Carolina before joining the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2001. Claybrooks would go on to make a number of stops over five years in the NFL including a few in Tampa Bay where he earned a Super Bowl ring for the 2002 season.
Eventually making his way to the CFL in 2007 and playing with the Montreal Alouettes for a pair of seasons, DeVone signed with the Stamps and played another three years before joining the club’s coaching staff in 2012 as defensive line coach. Over his five-year CFL career, Claybrooks played 75 regular season games recording 161 tackles and 14 sacks.
He recently had a diabetes scare which almost cost him his life, and has made the adjustments to his lifestyle to keep him on track.
