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#52Fan
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I like Sir Purrcival’s suggestion of Scott ‘Son of Bob’ Ackles for GM. The organization has been at it’s best with an Ackles at the helm. In the late 80s, when the NFL stole Bob from us, he started mentoring Scott and they both got noticed, working in a league where that’s hard to do. Enter the XFL and the tandem are given the helm of the Vegas Team. Next stop, Bob and ‘Son of Bob’ are back in BC. Bob bolstering the Lions and ‘Son of Bob’ putting on some of the best Grey Cups ever. Then the Stamps recognize talent, steal ‘Son of Bob’, who spends three years advancing with and within their organization. I think he was President when he left to come back to BC to Manage another blockbuster Grey Cup. Great GMs don’t have to be former players or coaches, Bob proved that. They need the ability to understand the game on the field, the game in the boardroom and the game in the community. Bob covered all of those things and more, and he only mentored one guy to do the same. There are a lot of good candidates for the job, but there’s one guy, who’s proven himself in the XFL, NFL and CFL , who was born a Lion Cub and raised by the great ‘Mufasa’ , the Water Boy himself, Bob Ackles and that’s the ‘Son of Bob’. If I had a vote, he’d get mine. Maybe I’m just nostalgic, but the man has a proven track record and if he’s available he’s got to be the best choice, not only for the team but for the community that supports it too.
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B.C.FAN
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Our recent speculation on this board about Marco Iannuzzi being a candidate for a front-office role with the Lions has some merit, according to LU.
Iannuzzi, a Harvard grad who has already established a successful career as an investment adviser, said he has made it known to those seeking to buy the Lions that he would like to have a managerial or advisory role in an ownership group.
Questions on gridiron and in boardroom loom as Lions close out season

Iannuzzi has been a great ambassador for the Lions in the community and has business connections that could help bolster a new ownership group such as the Waterboys. Is it too soon to jump directly from player to team president? Other ex-players have gone on to be team presidents throughout the league. I think he would be an asset at any level in the organization.
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David
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Yes, Marco was on TSN1040 the other day and said that he would like to be part of the Lions community, "on the business side of things, not football ops." He said he is committed to staying here on the Lower Mainland even though he's from Calgary. He feels such a part of the community that people often ask him "what (Vancouver area) high school did you go to?," assuming that he's from here.

And don't sell this guy short. He managed both football and financial planning careers, plus raising a family (3 kids). He is well connected with 34.3K Twitter followers and is engaging and charismatic. Whatever he may get hired to do is a win for the Lions, IMO. :thup:


DH :cool:
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#52Fan wrote:
Sat Oct 21, 2017 9:39 pm
I like Sir Purrcival’s suggestion of Scott ‘Son of Bob’ Ackles for GM. The organization has been at it’s best with an Ackles at the helm. In the late 80s, when the NFL stole Bob from us, he started mentoring Scott and they both got noticed, working in a league where that’s hard to do. Enter the XFL and the tandem are given the helm of the Vegas Team. Next stop, Bob and ‘Son of Bob’ are back in BC. Bob bolstering the Lions and ‘Son of Bob’ putting on some of the best Grey Cups ever. Then the Stamps recognize talent, steal ‘Son of Bob’, who spends three years advancing with and within their organization. I think he was President when he left to come back to BC to Manage another blockbuster Grey Cup. Great GMs don’t have to be former players or coaches, Bob proved that. They need the ability to understand the game on the field, the game in the boardroom and the game in the community. Bob covered all of those things and more, and he only mentored one guy to do the same. There are a lot of good candidates for the job, but there’s one guy, who’s proven himself in the XFL, NFL and CFL , who was born a Lion Cub and raised by the great ‘Mufasa’ , the Water Boy himself, Bob Ackles and that’s the ‘Son of Bob’. If I had a vote, he’d get mine. Maybe I’m just nostalgic, but the man has a proven track record and if he’s available he’s got to be the best choice, not only for the team but for the community that supports it too.


I don't think GM would be a fit for Ackles and he probably wouldn't like the pay cut. He has zero football ops experience other than sitting at the dinner table with Bob and Kay. His background is all in sales & marketing. If he was to give up his role as VP Sales, Marketing & Communications with Paladin Security I see the fit being into a role like that of Skulsky or Chayka. However I think he has publicly stated in the past few years that he has no interest in getting back into sports. They've been trying to fill Skulsky's role as President. That Ackles hasn't resurfaced despite seeming to be being a no-brainer to fill the role might speak to that. Having said that if the rumoured interest of a group out of the Waterboys came to fruition I could see him being involved due to his association in the past with Moray Keith who one would think would be front and centre in any Waterboys bid. Keith was the 2011 GC Co-Chair when Ackles came back to be the 2011 GC GM. After that both worked together with ViaSport with Keith as chairman and Ackles as CEO. Keith left first with Ackles departing not long after.

Ackles LinkedIn profile shows:
Jan 2014 - present: VP Sales, Marketing & Communications - Paladin Security
Mar 2012 - Mar 2013: CEO - ViaSport
Jan 2010 - Mar 2012: GM 2011 GC Championship & Festival - BC Lions
Jan 2008 - Jan 2010: President - Calgary Stampeders
Mar 2007 - Jan 2008: Vice President - Calgary Stampeders
Jan 2006 - Mar 2007: VP Operations & Events - BC Lions
Jan 2004 - Mar 2006: GM 2005 GC Championship & Festival - BC Lions
Jan 2002 - Jan 2004: VP Business Development - Eventcorp Services
Jan 2000 - Jan 2002: Director, Events & Operations - XFL
Mar 1997 - Jan 2000: Manager, Game Day Operations - BC Lions
Sep 1986 - Mar 1997: Free Lance Camera Operator for television broadcasts.
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The_Pauser
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I don't know about Ackles as a GM, I always felt he would be the purrfect President candidate.

Marco is someone who was also thrown out there as a President candidate, 10 years from now though, on 3 Down Radio the other night. Thinking about it I really like the suggestion. Probably too early to put him in that role right away, but perhaps a set-up that has Ackles as President and Marco given a VP role would be ideal.

I think Neil McEvoy is likely the successor at GM. He's been apprenticing under Buono for a long time now and is likely ready for that job. I'm okay with that to be honest. My biggest concern regarding the front office is our scouting. Wally looked like a genius of a GM when we had great scouts working with him. Roy Shivers, and Bob O'Billovich working in a bigger role. When they left we started seeing a dip in our talent recruitment. Wally still had that knack for knowing when to cut a player before his best before date, and I'm hopeful that's something that Neil has picked up on. Keeping Geroy in the fold too is probably a good idea too.
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Hambone
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The_Pauser wrote:
Thu Oct 26, 2017 10:55 am
I think Neil McEvoy is likely the successor at GM. He's been apprenticing under Buono for a long time now and is likely ready for that job. I'm okay with that to be honest. My biggest concern regarding the front office is our scouting. Wally looked like a genius of a GM when we had great scouts working with him. Roy Shivers, and Bob O'Billovich working in a bigger role. When they left we started seeing a dip in our talent recruitment. Wally still had that knack for knowing when to cut a player before his best before date, and I'm hopeful that's something that Neil has picked up on. Keeping Geroy in the fold too is probably a good idea too.
Under the norms of succession planning one would think if Buono stepped aside then it would almost be a no-brainer to promote McEvoy to GM with Simon moving up into McEvoy's role. If whomever is making that decision chose to overlook McEvoy then it would be best for him to leave be it voluntarily or via road map and apple. After all the time he's spent in the organization and the roles and responsibilities he's had if he's not ready to be GM now then he never will be. The only other reason for not promoting might be that he doesn't want the job. Some guys like to work a bit more behind the scenes as opposed to being the guy in the spotlight with cameras and mics in their face. I'm guessing he's mid 40s so the time is right to give it a shot.
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The_Pauser
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Hambone wrote:
Thu Oct 26, 2017 12:32 pm
Under the norms of succession planning one would think if Buono stepped aside then it would almost be a no-brainer to promote McEvoy to GM with Simon moving up into McEvoy's role. If whomever is making that decision chose to overlook McEvoy then it would be best for him to leave be it voluntarily or via road map and apple. After all the time he's spent in the organization and the roles and responsibilities he's had if he's not ready to be GM now then he never will be. The only other reason for not promoting might be that he doesn't want the job. Some guys like to work a bit more behind the scenes as opposed to being the guy in the spotlight with cameras and mics in their face. I'm guessing he's mid 40s so the time is right to give it a shot.
I've met him and talked to him a few times. My first impression wasn't great, as he sounded like he preferred the NFL game to ours. And I guess that may still be true which gives me a bit of a bad impression, but personal preferences really don't mean much in the grand scheme of things. If he can do the job well that's all that matters, and by the looks of things he's done his current role very well. It seems like Wally is sort of offloading a lot of the work to him so there's probably a bit of a transition plan there.

From what I can tell I'd be surprised if he weren't interested in the GM role. To each their own I guess, but I think he would certainly be open to it.
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Hambone
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The_Pauser wrote:
Thu Oct 26, 2017 2:51 pm
Hambone wrote:
Thu Oct 26, 2017 12:32 pm
Under the norms of succession planning one would think if Buono stepped aside then it would almost be a no-brainer to promote McEvoy to GM with Simon moving up into McEvoy's role. If whomever is making that decision chose to overlook McEvoy then it would be best for him to leave be it voluntarily or via road map and apple. After all the time he's spent in the organization and the roles and responsibilities he's had if he's not ready to be GM now then he never will be. The only other reason for not promoting might be that he doesn't want the job. Some guys like to work a bit more behind the scenes as opposed to being the guy in the spotlight with cameras and mics in their face. I'm guessing he's mid 40s so the time is right to give it a shot.
I've met him and talked to him a few times. My first impression wasn't great, as he sounded like he preferred the NFL game to ours. And I guess that may still be true which gives me a bit of a bad impression, but personal preferences really don't mean much in the grand scheme of things. If he can do the job well that's all that matters, and by the looks of things he's done his current role very well. It seems like Wally is sort of offloading a lot of the work to him so there's probably a bit of a transition plan there.

From what I can tell I'd be surprised if he weren't interested in the GM role. To each their own I guess, but I think he would certainly be open to it.
I can't remember when I first met Neil. It was at a Grey Cup 2 or 3 years before Buono was hired so probably 2001 or 2002. I recall running into him in the concourse an hour or so before 2004 Grey Cup kickoff in Ottawa. We waved at each other as we passed and I hollered "Who's starting?". He said "12". So I knew well before kickoff that Printers wasn't getting the nod. Wally took him under his wing as soon as he arrived, probably at the suggestion of Bob Ackles as he'd already been doing some football ops stuff by then. Fairly early on under Wally Neil was already getting his feet wet with contract negotiations.
Last edited by Hambone on Thu Oct 26, 2017 4:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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This CFL fan has expressed support for Neil McAvoy as potential GM for a handful of years now.

Keep a seat at the table for Geroy too.

And Kato.

And Reichelt.

And the other footsoldiers.

Football management and coaching needs a turnover, however.

Marketing? Needs a clean sweep.

Iannuzzi might be too young for a VP or higher slot. Best to keep him in the organization, though. Bright, articulate, highly motivated. Great with fans. Gotta keep him. His credentials are becoming impeccable.

As others have noted, he was greatly underutilized in his time here. Good hands. Good returner. But we always seem to favour a couple of go-to guys and that is about it. And that is no doubt part of the predictability of our offence. Manny and Burnie get double teamed. (Mixed topics here, I acknowledge.)
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Didn't Scott Ackles had a disagreement with David Braley ?
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David
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Yes. According to Matt Sekeres, but I have not had this story corroborated (I trust Matt as a source though as he was a former newspaper journalist and very well connected to the CFL beat that he covered for the G&M).

Matt mentioned on-air maybe about 7-8 years ago now something about the 2009 Calgary Grey Cup when Ackles was President of the Stamps and some kind of snub (or perceived snub) to David Braley. I've kind of forgotten over time exactly what was said (and it was rather cryptic to begin with), but it may have had something to do with not having a ticket(s) for him, or possibly access to a suite. Braley never forgot it (if you think about it, it does seen kind of fishy that Scott has never been mentioned with anything to do with the Lions, even though he'd be a natural fit somewhere in the organization. Perhaps he's never wanted to live in his Dad's shadow though too). I guess we'll never know.

If I ever bump into Sekeres (he lives in Kits too), I shall ask him to elaborate.


DH :cool:
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Toppy Vann
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I thought Scott Ackles for President with the only red flag why he didn't stay as Pres of the Stamps.
He did a good on GC 2005 I think.
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Hambone
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David wrote:
Thu Oct 26, 2017 11:22 pm
Yes. According to Matt Sekeres, but I have not had this story corroborated (I trust Matt as a source though as he was a former newspaper journalist and very well connected to the CFL beat that he covered for the G&M).

Matt mentioned on-air maybe about 7-8 years ago now something about the 2009 Calgary Grey Cup when Ackles was President of the Stamps and some kind of snub (or perceived snub) to David Braley. I've kind of forgotten over time exactly what was said (and it was rather cryptic to begin with), but it may have had something to do with not having a ticket(s) for him, or possibly access to a suite. Braley never forgot it (if you think about it, it does seen kind of fishy that Scott has never been mentioned with anything to do with the Lions, even though he'd be a natural fit somewhere in the organization. Perhaps he's never wanted to live in his Dad's shadow though too). I guess we'll never know.

If I ever bump into Sekeres (he lives in Kits too), I shall ask him to elaborate.


DH :cool:
If there was anything they seemed to have buried the hatchet by the end of 2009. This was the announcement that came down a few weeks afte the 2009 Grey Cup re: Ackles returning to run the 2011 GC.

https://www.bclions.com/2009/12/14/scot ... l-manager/

“Moray and Dennis have made an excellent acquisition in Scott Ackles,” said David Braley owner of the BC Lions Football Club. “It is great to have the Grey Cup coming back to Vancouver in 2011 and with an all-star festival team running the show it’s sure to eclipse the huge success we saw in 2005.”
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#52Fan
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My guess as to why he left the Stamps as soon as his contract was up was to be close to his family after Bob’s passing. He stayed in Calgary and honoured his contract, they made him President, but he came back to BC, where all of his family live, at his first chance after Bob passed. I’ve never heard of any conflict between him and the Stamps, no bad press or name calling, so I suspect it was a respectful separation. If there is friction between him and Braley it would explain why he isn’t currently involved with the Lions. If not, I suspect Braley wasn’t willing to pay what a former team President is worth. That kind of experience doesn’t come cheap.
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looks like Braley and the Lions have some competition

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