1963 Coaching Changes

1963 Coaching Changes

The majority of the coaches around the league were sticking with their teams ahead of the 1963 season, however, many are going into this season with a short rope and could very well find themselves without a job within the next season or two. The main names to look at would be OC Levi Bray, who has failed to revamp the Raiders’ offence over the last couple of seasons and Providence Head Coach Harry Meadows, who has still been unable to get the Gold Stars over the top. 

In the end, there were 3 teams that made changes this season. First, and as expected, the Halifax Mariners would make several changes in the staff. Stand-in GM Larry Larson would step back into his role with the NAAF Players Committee this season, so the team needed a new GM. They would bring on former Montreal Rouge GM Anthony Vigneault to take on the role. Vigneault was a solid GM in Montreal helping the team through the worst of its rebuilding process. He is also a scout when he isn’t in a GM role which means he certainly knows talent when he sees it. As for the coaching staff, the team would bring back DC Phillip Little, who has done well so far with the Athletics over the last couple of seasons. They would make a change at both the Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator positions. They would hire Providence’s DC Urick Wilkins as the Head Coach. Wilkins had gone to Providence to potentially take the HC job when Harry Meadows left, but the opportunity came in Halifax and he jumped on it. Wilkins is a defensive-minded coach that has winning experience from his time in Buffalo. They would hire Wayne Ball out of Atlantic State University of Mass. to be the new OC. A younger coach who has helped turn the program at Atlantic around in recent years.

Providence would be scrambling for a new DC with Wilkins’ departure. They would target former Victors’ DC Steve Pallard for the role, however, he decided to head to Buffalo after that team made the decision to move on from DC George Mitchell. Pallard preferred to be further west as well as feeling like Buffalo had lots of potential with Rookie of the Year LB Orion Carter and others. Providence would then bring Mitchell in the fill the DC void for this season as they scramble to figure things out.