Menu
January 3, 2023

Lewis & Simpson Added To Coaching Staff

Calgary Stampeders general manager and head coach Dave Dickenson announces his coaching staff for the 2023 Canadian Football League season including the return of two former players.

Nik Lewis, whose Hall-of-Fame career included 11 seasons with the Red and White, is the new receivers coach while Juwan Simpson, who played eight seasons for Calgary and was the team’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 2010, will serve as defensive line coach.

The other newcomer to the coaching staff is running backs coach J.R. Davies, a former Simon Fraser University quarterback who since 2012 had been serving as a regional scouting consultant for the Stampeders and has coaching experience at the college and high-school levels.

“I’m excited to welcome Nik, Juwan and J.R. to our coaching staff,” said Dickenson. “There’s no doubt these three will bring energy, knowledge, and fresh ideas to our team. All three have Stampeder roots so they know our standard and how we operate.”

A member of the 2021 class of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, Lewis is the CFL’s all-time leader with 1,051 receptions. He was BC Lions running backs coach in 2019. He was the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie in 2004 as a member of the Stampeders and a six-time division all-star. Simpson was a two-time division all-star and a one-time league all-star during his career with the Stampeders. Since his retirement as a player following the 2015 season, Simpson has been coaching high- school football in his home state of Alabama. He was a guest coach at the Stamps’ 2016 training camp.

Lewis and Simpson both won two Grey Cup rings as Stampeders players (2008 and 2014).

Davies started his coaching career as an assistant at Simon Fraser and since 2012 has been coaching in Texas, most recently as offensive coordinator at Lehman High School in Kyle, Tex. He started his collegiate playing career at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas before transferring to Simon Fraser. The Port Moody Secondary School alumnus is a member of the British Columbia Football Hall of Fame.

The remainder of Dickenson’s staff consists of returnees with a combined 54 years of experience with the Calgary organization:

  • Special teams coordinator and assistant head coach Mark Kilam (entering his 19th season with the Stampeders)
  • Defensive coordinator Brent Monson (14th season)
  • Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Pat DelMonaco (10th season)
  • Quarterbacks coach Marc Mueller (10th season)
  • Defensive backs coach and CFL draft coordinator Dwayne Cameron (fourth season)
  • Linebackers coach Bob Slowik (third season)

“We were fortunate to keep the majority of our staff together,” said Dickenson. “I appreciate their loyalty and their commitment to consistently put a winning product on the field.”