1960 Coaching Changes

1960 Coaching Changes 

The NAAF saw a few changes around the league this offseason. The first to make major moves was Montreal. After a season that the team was supposed to break through, Owner Jean Beaulieu had enough and scrapped the whole staff. While he typically likes bringing in Quebecois coaches, he knew that they would need something different. His idea of different was very different, as he would sign the sometimes unorthodox GM Virgil Gross to take over. Gross was known for some very drastic moves in his time in Providence, but there were certainly some that worked out, like the pick of QB Connor O’Rourke, when no one expected it.  

As for the coaches, Boston has to be brought into the equation. HC Dean Reed of the Independents was the successor to the ever great Peter McDuffin. He has been fine over the last 7 seasons, but the Independents have been debating changing things up. While they still were likely to go back with Reed and were offering him deals, he also received deals from Gross and the Rouge. Seeing the uncertainty in his job in Boston and the higher pay in Montreal, Reed made the jump and became Montreal’s head coach for the 1960 season. Montreal would also go on to hire Patrick Taylor, a recently fired Gold Stars Defensive Coordinator as the new DC, and former Providence and Louisville Head Coach Perry Powell as the Offensive Coordinator. Both Taylor and Powell worked with Gross in the past in Providence.  

Boston would need to fill their spots and they would go with London Offensive Coordinator, Ben McMillan. The Boston native had been on the Independents radar for a while, and after helping the Tigers to the McCallister Cup, certainly, put Boston in the place to go after him. They would also add Montreal’s Defensive Coordinator, Carroll Moss, also a Boston native, as their new DC.  London would have to find a new OC to replace McMillan. They would ultimately go with former Tigers WR and Worcester OC, Dewey Doyle. Doyle played one year with the Tigers, but he spent many seasons as a coach in Worcester working with QB Riley Kiernan. 

One of the last hires would be Providence giving young Louisville DC Jerome Morris a chance to take on the role. The college coach had a shot with the Thunder, but that ended with Emil Riddle coming to the team. Ottawa would also make an addition with HC/OC Joseph Curry lowering his responsibilities to just HC and adding former Montreal HC Soni Dionne as the OC. Dionne has been heralded to have lots of talent as a coach, but he might have been thrust into the HC role too soon. Curry sees the promise and decided to bring him into Ottawa to give him a better opportunity.