In the CFL, we are proud to call ourselves a family.

No matter what colour you represent on game day, if you’re a coach, a player or a fan, we all come together to support our beautiful game.

But for defensive backs coach and CFL Draft coordinator Dwayne Cameron, the phrase ‘football is family’ is the literal truth.

Dwayne’s oldest son, Greg Coates-Cameron, has inherited his father’s love for the game and passion for coaching. At just 16 years old, he started assisting his dad on the sidelines.

“Essentially, he’s been around the game at a high level his entire life,” said Dwayne Cameron.

“I think our life has been a major influence, Greg has grown up since he was a young child in the game, of course when we were at Wilfrid Laurier coaching for years, so he grew up in the game.

“He actually started helping us on the coaching staff when he was 16 or 17 years old. He was still in high school playing at that point in time, but he would help us on game days with minor roles and stuff on the sidelines.

“He came by it naturally, just had a love for it.”

The young coach echoes his father’s words.

“I think growing up, it definitely left an impression on me,” informed Greg Coates-Cameron. “The years spent on the sidelines watching (his father) do what he did and being around it – I don’t think I could imagine doing anything else in my life after spending almost all of my existence in this game.”

Now 23, Greg works for the University of Guelph as an assistant with offensive coordinator Mark Surya, and special-teams coordinator Donnavan Carter.

This past May, Greg was selected by the Ottawa Redblacks as their Diversity in Football program representative during training camp. To say he was thankful for the chance to work at the pro level alongside CFL coaches would be an understatement.

“Obviously I was very excited, it’s a unique opportunity and opportunities in this game are hard to come by,” said Greg. “You go into a mode of preparation, and I just tried to do everything I could and my father was a resource there in terms of talking through it with me.

“I could tell he was proud, and I think that also drove me through those long days, that I had that support system and knowing that he was backing me and that I was making him proud.”

Like any loving parent, Dwayne was excited for this opportunity for his son, but wanted to ensure that Greg earned his spot entirely on his own.

“I didn’t want there to be any perception that I somehow was able to influence the process, so I stayed away from it,” Dwayne explained. “I guess in the interview process he did a good enough job with (Redblacks head coach) Coach Dyce and (general manager) Shawn Burke over there in Ottawa. He and I would talk almost every day in training camp, and he absolutely loved the process.

“First of all, he liked the people over there and he really liked the opportunity to work at that level.”

Additionally, Greg was one of the youngest selections to be chosen in the history of the program and he wanted to make sure he represented coaches of a fellow age well.

“I think that was also another unique element of being out there, is understanding that I was one of the youngest people to get to have an opportunity like that and to do it justice,” he explained.

“This game tends to be a ‘pay your dues’ and ‘earn your stripes’ kind of deal and getting into coaching it takes a while and opportunities like that don’t come to young people all the time, so I definitely wanted to grab it by the horns and do everything I absolutely could to make good on that opportunity.”

Although his internship with the Redblacks has ended, Greg is looking forward to implementing his developed skillset with the Gryphons this Fall.

“As excited as I was to go to Ottawa, it was also a little bit bittersweet leaving. You’re living out your dream. I got to live out my dream for four weeks every day. I got to wake up and do nothing but football.

“I was excited to not only go there but to be able to take those things and bring it back and show the coaches here what I learned. I’m definitely excited to help our players become better. That’s what you get into this deal of coaching for, you wake up every single day excited to help make your players better.”

And his father Dwayne has the utmost amount of faith that Greg will go far in the continued pursuit of his football coaching dreams.

“Whatever he puts his mind to, I’m confident he’s going to excel in it. I know he’s got the passion for it and loves the game. I’m proud and excited to see what the future holds for him.”

Celebrate your family with us this Sunday, July 23, at our Family Day game against the 2-3 Ottawa Redblacks. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. MDT. You can buy your tickets to the Family Day game here!