The CJFL takes pride in building and developing young people to help them take the next step in their lives, whether that is football or not. 

For the ones that remain in football, coaching is often a path that is taken to stay within the game and at the same time allows them to give back to the community that supported them during their playing career.   Currently there are several former players that have joined a coaching staff across the 19 teams within the league.  In the BC Conference, these alumni have taken it one step further. 

Incredibly, each of the seven teams in the BC Conference have an alumnus as their HEAD coach.  

Okanagan Sun 

Travis Miller was an offensive lineman for the Sun from 2005-2009, playing the Cullen Cup championship game four times.  Last season Miller led his club to an incredible undefeated season, earning the team’s first Canadian Bowl championship title since 2000. 

VI Raiders 

Former All-Canadian, and arguably the greatest talent to come out of the BC Conference, Andrew Harris was officially named the head of football operations of the Raiders in February of this year and will be the head coach in 2024.  There was potential for him to join the coaching staff this season, however the Toronto Argonauts had other plans for the running back.   He played five years for the Raiders helping them win three Canadian Bowl championships in 2006, 2008 and 2009. 

Westshore Rebels  

Former BC Conference All-Star Dexter Janke was named the Rebels head coach in November of 2022 and this season will be his first at the helm.  He was the team’s defensive coordinator last year.  Janke played for the Okanagan Sun in 2014 as a safety and returned kicks.  He represented himself and the CJFL at the CFL Combine and was drafted by the Calgary Stampeders playing from 2015-2017.  Two seasons later he played for and won a Grey Cup with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.  

Langley Rams 

Jordan McCarty quarterbacked the Rams to a Canadian Bowl appearance in 2014.  For the past three seasons he was the quarterback’s coach and helped the Rams to a Canadian Bowl championship in 2021 in London Ontario.  

Kamloops Broncos  

The Broncos announced Braden Vankoughnett as the team’s new head coach in 2020 just before the COVID pandemic knocked out the season.  He would make his debut on the sidelines in 2021 and is set to open his third season this coming July.   The former linebacker played for the Broncos in 2015 before a pair of seasons with the University of Acadia. He returned to Kamloops in 2018 and served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.  

Valley Huskers

In recent years the Valley Huskers have turned their franchise around attracting top notch talent, and the biggest reason why is head coach Bob Reist.  He knows what it takes to win at this level as a former Abbotsford Airforce safety from 1999-2002.  He was outstanding for the now debunked franchise named a CJFL All-Canadian in 2002 and a BC Conference All-Star in both 2001 and 2002.

Prince George Kodiaks

The BC Conference newest franchise, the Prince Geroge Kodiaks have attracted former CFL kicker Jamie Boreham in just their second year.  He spent three seasons with the Okanagan Sun before stepping down in March of 2022.  Boreham is also a BC Conference alumnus after spending three seasons with the Abbotsford Airforce beginning in 1997 when he was a named a Conference All-Star safety.  The following season he tore his ACL and returned to play the rest of the season, just three games later.  At the end of the campaign, he was named the Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.  He was also named a CJFL All-Canadian after playing safety, running back, place kicker, punter and kick returner.

The BC Conference will open the 2023 campaign on July 29 with a full slate of games.