EDMONTON 鈥� Chris Morris played each and every snap of his 14-year CFL career wearing Edmonton鈥檚 green and gold. He won three Grey Cups, and described the team as a family.
As the new president of the Edmonton Elks, Morris pledged that those family values will return to the franchise. As an alumnus and a member of the Ring of Honour, he鈥檚 watched the team go through the 2020s and miss the playoffs, season after season.
He鈥檚 seen players come in, players go out. There have been quarterback controversies and quarterback carousels.
He said the culture of signing and cutting players, and re-making the team year after year, has to come to an end.
鈥淭he first thing we need to build here is a championship-level football team.鈥� Morris said Thursday during a media conference held in the Elks鈥� locker room a day after he was confirmed as the team鈥檚 new president and chief executive officer. "This city was about nothing but championships for decades and decades. We need to be a championship-level team that competes for Grey Cups every single year. There鈥檚 been people before, there鈥檚 been five presidents in the last eight years, who have sat up here and said the exact same thing.
鈥淏ut what I will tell you is this. We are going to build a culture in order to achieve our goal of building this team. Our culture here will be one that values everyone, from the player on the field to the person in the front office to the people selling our tickets.鈥�
The former offensive tackle has been a principal in an Edmonton inner city school, and spent the last 12 years rebuilding the University of Alberta Golden Bears鈥� football program, which had been doormats in Canada West. He said that, this past year, the University of Alberta鈥檚 camp program raised more than $800,000 that went towards scholarships. When he got to the U of A, that program raised $30,000 a season.
His press conference felt more like a halftime team-talk from the coach, and alumni in attendance even cheered some of his talking points, especially when he said 鈥淚 promise you, the revolving door is over鈥� when it came to players and staff.
鈥淗ow can you identify with a team when three quarters of it turns over? 鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou tell me another sports franchise that鈥檚 had as much turnover as we鈥檝e had over the last three years. You can鈥檛 build on that.
鈥淐ontinuity is going to allow our fans to find something they can connect with and I think that鈥檚 going to go a long way to get this wrong.鈥�
He said the team鈥檚 inability to stick with players and nurture them is 鈥�85 per cent鈥� of the issue when it comes to the last half-decade of futility and waning fan support.
Next on Morris鈥檚 list is finding a permanent general manager. Geroy Simon took over as the GM on an interim basis after the team鈥檚 0-5 start. Under Simon and interim coach Jarious Jackson, the team went 7-6 through the remainder of the year. Both men want to keep their jobs.
Morris said the GM decision will be made by Nov. 24, which will allow him time to talk to a couple of people he won鈥檛 be allowed to interview until after the Grey Cup.
鈥淕eroy, Jarious, they鈥檝e done a wonderful job in resurrecting what was an awful season,鈥� Morris said. 鈥淭hey will be strongly considered as we move forward. However, we owe this city, and we owe everyone associated with Elks football, to find the best football mind to take over our franchise. This might be Geroy. But we are going to look and we are going to have an intensive search."
With Morris鈥檚 hiring, Rich LeLacheur鈥檚 tenure as the team鈥檚 interim president and CEO comes to an end. There will be a transition period where he helps Morris get comfortable, and, after, he will be a mentor. LeLacheur will continue to advise team owner Larry Thompson.
LeLacheur was hired in August of 2023, after Victor Cui and the team mutually agreed to part ways. LeLacheur shepherded the Elks through a major shift, as he led the search for a private owner. This summer, Thompson bought the team in its 75th anniversary season, taking it out of the hands of community ownership.
鈥淭hrough the process of recruitment, Chris checked a lot of the boxes,鈥� said LeLacheur, who had to convince Morris to apply for the job.
鈥淗e reminds me of another teacher and coach and player who happened to be a president here in Hugh Campbell.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2024.
Steven Sandor, The Canadian Press
