Marvin Pope to serve as Kodiaks’ Defensive Coordinator

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With Raymond’s two Grey Cup wins, and the addition of Pope’s, the two plan on creating a winning culture right away, with the intentions their winning pedigree trickles down to the players.

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“Right now, they don’t have leaders,” explained Pope on the first-year team. “You don’t know who the leaders are. The only people who can lead them are the coaches. We just have to lead by example. We have to lead with confidence. We have to lead with a little bit of arrogance. We just have to walk that fine line of arrogance and confidence, we’ll be fine.”

Pope, 53, entered the Canadian Football League as a linebacker in 1992. He signed as a free agent following his collegiate career at Central State University. With Calgary, he was a part of five consecutive Western Division Finals and was a two-time CFL West All Star.

In 2010, he then joined the coaching ranks as an assistant defensive line and linebackers coach with the Stampeders. In 2013, he returned to high school coaching at Robert Thirsk High School, contributing to an effort that saw the team win a City Championship.

“To have him available, it’s a super addition to our staff. We’ve got a couple of Grey Cup rings on our staff and I don’t know too many junior programs that have that type of pedigree and coaching style,” explained Raymond.

In 2014, he was named the defensive coordinator for the Pacific Football Conference’s Calgary Colts in the Canadian Junior Football League. In 2018, he was hired as the defensive coordinator for the Langley Rams in the BC Football Conference, a league within the CJFL as ell. In 2019, he was named the defensive line coach for the University of Calgary.

“If anybody has ever been around me, they know that I’m a tough coach,” said Pope. “I’m going to encourage, but I’m going to push.”

The Kodiaks are expected to begin announcing some of their early committed players as the organization gets ready for their inaugural kickoff in the summer.