CFL.ca Staff
MONTREAL — Concordia Stingers head coach Gerry McGrath announced that Bryan Chiu and Phil Roberts have accepted coaching positions with the university’s football team.
Chiu will take on the responsibilities of assistant offensive co-ordinator, offensive line coach and director of Stinger Football School. Roberts will assume the defensive co-ordinator’s workload. He will also be in charge of Concordia’s recruiting.
Chiu recently retired from the Montreal Alouettes after 13 years of service. The highly respected centre was a nine-time all-star and the CFL’s Most Outstanding Lineman in the Eastern Division in 2002. He was a member of Grey Cup champion teams in 2002 and 2009.
“I’m excited to start the next chapter of my life,” says Chiu who announced his retirement from the professional ranks on June 6. “This is the perfect situation for me. I get to stay in football and give back all that I’ve learned.”
The Vancouver native attended University of the Pacific and Washington State University. He graduated from the latter with a BA Social Studies, major in Sports Management, in 1997. He was an academic all-American and on the President’s honor roll.
“I think there are exciting times ahead for Concordia football,” McGrath says. “Having Bryan’s expertise and his ability to relate to the players will be tremendous assets. He’s been a friend to our program for a long time, and I’m really happy to have him with us.”
Roberts has been devoted to university football since his playing days at McGill and Concordia where he was an all-star linebacker in the late 70s. Most recently he was the assistant head coach, and special teams and recruiting co-ordinator at University of Ottawa.
His football résumé also includes work with the Hamilton Tiger Cats and the Ottawa Renegades in the CFL. At the amateur level, Roberts has coached at Carleton University, Vanier College, where he was head coach of three championship teams, and at Colonel By Secondary School in Ottawa.
With Concordia, he served as defensive co-ordinator and linebacker coach from 2000 to 2002. Roberts was on the Stingers’ staff from 1984 to 1986.
Roberts is a long-time educator who will retire this month. He has been a guidance counselor at Colonel By SS since 1992.
“Phil is a good friend who I’ve know since we met at training camp with the Alouettes in 1979,” says McGrath. “It’s good to have him back with us. We beat Laval regularly when he was our defensive co-ordinator. and I believe he is the best recruiter in the country.”
The Stingers open training camp with paperwork, photos and physical testing on Friday, Aug. 13. Their first day of on-field activities is Saturday, Aug. 14 at Concordia stadium.
