January 16, 2020

Stampeders announce 2020 football staff

Johany Jutras/CFL.ca

CALGARY — The Calgary Stampeders have announced their football staff for the 2020 season including the addition of four coaches with previous ties to the organization.

Marquay McDaniel, whose 10-year playing career in the CFL included six seasons with the Stamps, is the new receivers coach while George Cortez returns for a fourth stint as a member of the Calgary staff, this time as an offensive assistant and running backs coach.

Dwayne Cameron, who had been serving as a regional scouting consultant for the Stamps, becomes the linebackers coach. Cameron will also continue to work closely with the player personnel department in preparation for the CFL draft.

Taylor Altilio, a Calgary native who was the BC Lions’ special-teams coordinator in 2019, returns to the Stampeders as assistant special teams coach.

In addition, Marc Mueller will tutor the quarterbacks on head coach Dave Dickenson’s staff after serving five seasons as the Stamps’ running backs coach. As previously announced, offensive line coach Pat DelMonaco has added the title of offensive coordinator to his portfolio.

Coaches returning in the same role are Mark Kilam (special teams coordinator and assistant head coach), Brent Monson (defensive coordinator), Corey Mace (defensive line coach) and Joshua Bell (defensive backs coach).

“Part of our success through the years has been continuity on our coaching staff,” Dickenson said. “Although we’ve had some changes, I’m excited to bring in four individuals I’ve worked with in the past in George, Marquay, Dwayne and Taylor. I’m also very grateful for the loyalty shown by the returning coaches. As a staff, we’re focused on getting better in 2020.

Cortez 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 the team’s 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).

He was quarterbacks coach of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills for two seasons (2010-11) and has also served on college staffs at Rice, Lamar, Southern Methodist and Cal.

McDaniel joins the Stamps after spending 2019 as an offensive assistant for the Montreal Alouettes. McDaniel was the receivers coach at McMaster University in 2018 and was also a guest coach at the Stamps’ 2018 training camp.

McDaniel played a total of 10 seasons as a receiver in the CFL and had 562 career catches for 7,366 yards and 27 touchdowns. He broke in with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2009 and was the team’s nominee for Most Outstanding Rookie. McDaniel played a total of 37 regular-season games for the Ticats from 2009 to 2011 before signing with the Stamps. He made his Calgary debut in 2012 and played a total of 93 regular-season games and 11 post-season contests with the Red and White.

McDaniel had two 1,000-yard seasons for Calgary was named a CFL all-star in 2013. He was a member of the Stamps’ Grey Cup championship team in 2014. He retired following the 2017 season and joined McMaster’s coaching staff. McDaniel briefly returned to active duty as a player during the 2018 season, dressing for four games with the Ticats.

Cameron was most recently the Wilfrid Laurier University’s special-teams coordinator, defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator. During his first coaching stint at Wilfrid Laurier, he was part of a Vanier Cup championship team in 2005. He served as defensive backs/special teams assistant with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2010 and 2011.

Prior to joining the Lions’ staff in 2019, Altilio served as the Stampeders’ special-teams assistant in 2016 and as the strength and conditioning coordinator in 2017 and 2018. Altilio was hired as the University of Calgary’s special-teams coordinator in 2011. He served in that role from 2011-15 and again in 2017. A former receiver who played both at the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Calgary during his collegiate career, Altilio is an alumnus of Calgary’s Dr. E.P. Scarlett High School.

The Stampeders also welcome a new member to the player personnel department – Russ Lande as regional scouting consultant.

Lande is a former NFL scout who was previously director of college scouting for the Alouettes. He was with the Alouettes from 2013 to 2018.

The returning members of the football operations department include general manager John Hufnagel, director of player personnel Brendan Mahoney, director of U.S. scouting Cole Hufnagel, director of football operations Nick Bojda and director of football administration Molly Campbell.