TORONTO -- It would be unfair to suggest the winds of change - with the United States Football League providing the biggest gust -- have swept through the CFL coaching ranks. It's more like a hurricane.
In what may be remembered as the 'brain drain,' the USFL, in its search for coaching and management personnel to date, have lured two head coaches, one general manager and 11 assistant coaches from the CFL into its fold.
What began as a trickle is quickly turning into a flood, with several of the league's assistants following the lead of head coaches Hugh Campbell and Ray Jauch, who left their head coaching posts at Edmonton and Winnipeg to take over at the helms of Los Angeles and Washington, respectively, in the new league.
The departure of Campbell and Jauch triggered a domino effect, with two of Campbell's former assistants (Gene Gaines and Bruce Lemmerman) joining him in Los Angeles and his other two assistants (defensive co-ordinator Don Matthews with B.C. and offensive co-ordinator Cal Murphy with Winnipeg) earning head coaching posts elsewhere.
Two of Jauch's assistants in Winnipeg (Leo McKilip and Gene Stauber) elected to join him with the Federals in Washington, while another, Ellis Rainsberger, signed with the Denver Gold of the USFL.
Assistant Mike Faulkiner had left the Montreal Concordes at the start of the 1982 season to join the Federals, while the most recent defections to the USFL have been assistants Jim Erkenbeck of Calgary (Philadelphia Stars), Dick Walker of Montreal (Chicago Blitz) and Dale Lindsey of Toronto (Boston Breakers).
Vince Tobin of B.C., in limbo since Lions' head coach Vic Rapp was fired, decided to sign with Philadelphia as well, while Darrell 'Mouse' Davis, who designed Toronto's innovative run-and-shoot offense, has reportedly entertained some USFL offers.
Jim Spavital, who was general manager of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, left that post early in the year to take over operations of Detroit's entry in the new league.
'It's changed the whole structre of the league,' said Toronto's director of football operations Jim Eddy, a former head coach at Saskatchewan and Montreal. 'It's the biggest change to happen since I've been in the league. It's unbelievable.'
But Joe Galat, head coach of the Montreal Concordes and a former coach in the now defunct World Football League, said he expected the large turnover.
'I'm not surprised that this happened,' said Galat. 'When they signed Hugh Campbell and Ray Jauch early in the season, it was like letting the Trojan horse inside the gate. It only seemed a matter of time until others followed.
'Hugh and Ray were two of the best football minds in the league, the fact their teams had the best records attested to that. The league is going to miss them. All the coaches that have left are good coaches.'
Calgary coach and general manager Jack Gotta, also a former coach in the WFL, is impressed by the salary figures being bandied about in the new league.
'I think the one thing that's so different between the USFL and the WFL is the USFL is paying their coaches exceptionally well, up to NFL standards,' said Gotta, who was approached by Birmingham of the USFL.
'The money that they are offering to attract head coaches is overwhelming. The Birmingham numbers were kind of spooky. Even if the numbers they are offering are similar (to the CFL), it still amounts to a 20 percent raise because of the difference in the (Canadian and U.S.) dollar.'
Despite losing his assistant Erkenbeck to Philadelphia, Gotta is encouraged by the presence of the USFL.
'I hope the trend continues because it shows they feel strongly about hiring CFL coaches,' he said. 'The more jobs available the better it is for us in this crazy, precarious field.'
