Offensive Assistant/Running Backs Coach

CFL: Entering 22nd season
Stamps: Entering 12th season

Cortez returns for his fourth stint on the Stampeders coaching staff. He served as Calgary’s offensive line coach from 1992-94 and returned to the Stamps as defensive backs coach in 1997 before becoming offensive coordinator from 1998 to 2001. After three years at the University of California, Cortez was back in Calgary from 2007 to 2009 as offensive coordinator.

Cortez has also had CFL coaching stops in Montreal (1984-86), Ottawa (1990-91), Hamilton (as head coach in 2012), Saskatchewan (2006, 2013-14) and BC (2015). He has been part of five Grey Cup championship teams – four with Calgary (1992, 1998, 2001 and 2008) and one with Saskatchewan (2013).

After a four-year stint as offensive line coach at Rice University, Cortez came to the CFL in 1984 to become running backs coach for the Montreal Concordes. He spent three years at Lamar University before returning to the CFL with the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1990.

He spent three seasons in his first stint with the Stampeders before becoming quarterbacks coach at Southern Methodist University for two seasons (1995-96).

He returned to the Stamps in 1997 and became the club’s offensive coordinator in 1998. In his first year as Calgary’s offensive coordinator, the Stampeders claimed the Grey Cup as the Jeff Garcia-led offence paced the CFL in 10 statistical departments. A year later, injuries forced Calgary to use three different starting quarterbacks but Cortez helped the Stamps to their fourth West Division title and Calgary led the CFL in seven offensive categories.

In 2000, Cortez helped Dave Dickenson become the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player and Calgary’s offence ranked first or second in seven league offensive categories. A year later, the Stamps led the league in eight offensive categories — including scoring (25.4 points per game) — and running back Kelvin Anderson gained 1,383 yards to lead the top-ranked rushing offence.

After Calgary won the Grey Cup in 2001, Cortez joined the University of California Golden Bears as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He spent four years at Cal and worked with quarterbacks Kyle Boller and Aaron Rodgers, who became first-round picks in the National Football League Draft.

After one season with Saskatchewan in 2006, he rejoined the Stamps as offensive coordinator/associate head coach in 2007 and under his direction, the Stamps led the league in rushing offence and passing offence while quarterback Henry Burris led the league with 34 touchdown passes despite missing four games.

In 2008, Cortez’s offence was again among the league leaders in multiple offensive categories, ranking second in the league in points scored, total offence, average offence per game, first downs, rushing yards and rushing yards per game. The offence led the CFL with the fewest passes intercepted.

He worked closely with Burris, who posted career numbers and was named the MVP of the Grey Cup game. Cortez’s offence also boasted the league’s leading rusher in Joffrey Reynolds, who eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the fourth consecutive season.

Cortez served two years as quarterbacks coach for the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills before returning to Canada in 2012 as head coach and offensive coordinator of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Ticats led the CFL with 538 points scored that season.

He spent two seasons as Saskatchewan’s offensive coordinator and was part of the Roughriders’ championship team in 2013. Cortez was BC’s offensive coordinator in 2015.

Cortez has more than 30 years of professional and college coaching experience as well as an additional five years at the high school level. He began his coaching career at Houston’s C.E. King High School in 1973. That same year, Cortez graduated from Texas A&M with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education.

George Cortez’s Coaching History

2020 – Calgary Stampeders (CFL) – Offensive Assistant/Running Backs Coach
2015 – BC Lions (CFL) – Offensive Coordinator
2013-14 – Saskatchewan Roughriders (CFL) – Offensive Coordinator
2012 – Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL) – Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator
2010-11 – Buffalo Bills (NFL) – Quarterbacks Coach
2007-09 – Calgary Stampeders (CFL) – Offensive Coordinator/Associate Head Coach
2006 – Saskatchewan Roughriders (CFL) – Offensive Coordinator
2002-05 – University of California-Berkeley (NCAA) – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
1998-2001 – Calgary Stampeders (CFL) – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
1997 – Calgary Stampeders (CFL) – Secondary Coach
1995-96 – Southern Methodist University (NCAA) – Quarterbacks Coach
1992-94 – Calgary Stampeders (CFL) – Offensive Line Coach
1990-91 – Ottawa Rough Riders (CFL) – Special Teams Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach
1987-89 – Lamar (NCAA) – Offensive Line/Running Backs Coach
1986 – Montreal Alouettes (CFL) – Defensive Line Coach
1984-85 – Montreal Concordes (CFL) – Running Backs Coach
1979-82 – Rice University (NCAA) – Offensive Line Coach