1959 Coaching Changes

1959 Coaching Changes

Worcester Athletics
The first news of coaching changes came from Worcester, who dumped their entire coaching staff. It was clear that HC Emil Riddle and even OC Dewey Doyle were not able to get QB Gene Bishop going. In fact, Riddle’s decision to put QB Andrew Glover into the starting role was the clear indicator that he was not working well with Bishop and might have been showing his frustration over the Kiernan trade. GM Jack Mckinnon felt that it might be a time for a clean slate and fired all 3 coaches. 

Louisville Thunder
Louisville was the next to break the news that they would be making changes firing HC Perry Powell after two seasons and a 4-19-1 record. They would then announce the hiring of Emil Riddle not long after. Riddle is a strong hire for the Thunder, as he was the coach that got the Athletics from a basement dweller to a contender in a short time span. Riddle would continue to make changes by letting go of both OC Theodore Ortiz and DC Jerome Morris. He would hire his former DC from Worcester, Hugo Martinez to take on the defensive responsibilities. Then, he would go back to his days with the Pittsburgh Hammers and hire their most recent head coach Kelly Holder. Holder had worked offensive duties with Riddle back in the day. He took over for Riddle when he left Pittsburgh, but after several rough seasons, Holder was fired. Holder works well with QBs, making some mediocre starters look alright, which should be good news for the young QB Leonidas Dumont. 

Providence Gold Stars
While Providence had a strong turnaround under Interim Head Coach Dean Parrish, they would decide to go in a different direction and hire Ottawa Royals’ DC Harry Meadows as their new Head Coach. Meadows had been with the Royals since 1951 and coached a weaker defence to help in 3 McCallister Cup wins and 5 appearances in total. The head coach role has been a long time coming and he should help to build a crumbling Gold Star defence. They would also bring Ted McMahon back as the OC. McMahon works well with Connor O’Rourke and should make for a good coach for the offence. 

Worcester Athletics (cont.)
Worcester would ultimately hire Dean Parrish from Providence, looking at his 5-2 finish to last season as a strong resume. Parrish is offensively minded so might be a good hire for Bishop. They would then make some interesting hires elsewhere, bringing in Clyde Wall for OC, who is known for some frustration that happened between him and QB Riley Kiernan in London last season. They would then hire George Mitchell for DC who had one season as DC in Long Island during the winless 1954 season.  

Montreal Rouge and Ottawa Royals
Montreal would make a minor switch letting go of DC Paul Byers after a rough year for the defence. They would bring in Carroll Moss, a defensive-minded college coach out of the Boston area, to take on the role. While Ottawa would bring on former Tigers DC Matthew Carson. Carson had been in the OFU before his short time with the Tigers, so he has the experience, but it will be a high-pressure job in Ottawa for the younger coach.