Chis Morris leaves one Green and Gold family for another

On October 30, Chris Morris, former Golden Bears football coach, was named the CEO and President of the Edmonton Elks. Morris has a lengthy history with the Elks and has plans of restructuring the program and team.

Morris played four years of varsity football at the University of Toronto where he was awarded Academic All Canadian multiple times. He also won the J.P Metras trophy for being Canada’s best lineman in 1990. From here, Morris was drafted in the first round to the Edmonton Elks.

With the Elks, he played for 14 years, becoming a team captain and winning the Grey Cup three times. Once retired, he taught at a high school and then transferred to the University of Alberta as head coach for the Golden Bears football team. He coached the Bears for another 12 years before returning to the Elks in this new position. 

“[The Elks are] a great organization. I loved it when I was there the first time, I learned a lot when I was there. I’m very happy to return there. It’s not been going well for them for the last few years. So I’m excited to be part of the turnaround,” Morris said. 

With a lengthy history of football behind him, Morris has extensive experience and knowledge on the sport, from a player, coach, and admin perspective. His plans for the Elks involve community engagement, stability, and a new structure.

“They’ve had lots of turnover and lots of changes over the last five, six years. I’m hoping to bring stability, some predictability, and some genuine care for the program. [So that] we can get things going and get some people in the stands, get some wins,” Morris said.

“We have to re-engage with the football community,” Morris says

The Elks have not made the playoffs since 2019 and have had several turnovers in staffing. This has caused the fan base to “considerably dwindle,” according to Morris. One of his goals in the new position is to “re-engage the football community” and integrate into the northern Alberta football community. 

“We have to re-engage with the football community and do a really good job of showing them how much we care about this team,” Morris said. 

Morris suggested that football operations of the program need work too. He said this means that there is a need for more structure.

“It’s a matter of figuring out which [players] are going to fit into the [new way] we want to do things. I’m going to bring in people who have done things that allow [the team] to be successful. I think there’s a need for that right now,” Morris said.

Morris has already made changes in this area. They have hired Ed Hervey — a former teammate of Morris — as the new general manager for the Edmonton Elks. They have also hired Mark Kilam — a former Golden Bear — as head coach.

“It’s awesome working with student athletes who are trying to excel,” Morris says.

Morris views his time with the Golden Bears as a highlight. He started with the program when they were ranked worst in the country. Morris helped build the team to the point where they were recently ranked third best in the country. 

“I loved working with the young men that I was coaching. It’s awesome working with student athletes who are trying to excel both on and off the field. It was a wonderful experience, building up the program [and] having young men believe in what they can be,” Morris said.

Unfortunately the Bears had a weak last season, with a 2-6 finish. According to Morris, the team suffered many injuries throughout the season, with half of the team out at one point.

“There’s lots of really good football players, lots of really high character kids, so if they can just stay healthy next year, I think they’re gonna have a really good shot at it,” Morris said.

With Morris moving back to the Elks, the Bears and U of A Athletics is looking for a new head coach. According to Morris, the team has strong values both on and off the field. Academics is a priority for the athletes alongside football. The next coach should be someone who values the combination. 

“When you talk about a U of A athlete generally, in every sport we have, there’s lots of Academic All Canadians combined with lots of really good players as well. I know we have some assistant coaches there that are very talented and interested to continue. I’m hoping that they get a shot at that,” Morris said.

The Edmonton Elks will start their season in early June while the Bears begin in August. Both teams are in need of a revisitation to have a successful 2025 season.