Edmonton Elks name 3-time Grey Cup champion Chris Morris as president and CEO

Chris Morris has been named the caller president and main enforcement of the Edmonton Elks, the CFL nine announced Wednesday.

Morris was an violative lineman with Edmonton from 1992 to 2005 and won Grey Cup titles with the nine successful 1993, 2003 and 2005.

He spent the past 12 years arsenic caput manager of the University of Alberta’s U Sports shot team.

“This is simply a imagination accidental for me,” Morris, the 2023 U Sports manager of the year, said successful a release. “As a arrogant EE Alum and passionate protagonist of shot successful Northern Alberta, I cognize however overmuch this nine means to the assemblage and I look guardant to continuing our contented of giving backmost and winning shot games.”

Morris takes implicit from Rick LeLacheur, who was brought retired of status to instrumentality connected the relation of president and CEO connected an interim ground aft the departure of Victor Cui successful August 2023. The squad said LeLacheur volition stay with the squad arsenic an advisor to proprietor Larry Thompson and volition proceed arsenic the club’s alternate governor.

Morris’s archetypal duties volition see deciding the futures of wide manager Geroy Simon and caput manager Jarious Jackson.

Simon and Jackson took implicit the squad connected an interim ground erstwhile the Elks fired erstwhile caput manager and GM Chris Jones aft an 0-5 start. The squad had a winning grounds (7-6) aft the change.

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The squad said Morris volition beryllium introduced successful his caller relation successful a property league Thursday. Originally from Toronto, Morris was a two-time All-Canadian portion playing for the University of Toronto Varsity Blues.

Thompson called Morris a “winner and a leader” during his clip playing for Edmonton, which took him eighth wide successful the 1992 CFL draft.

“As a teacher, principal, and astir precocious manager of the Golden Bears, Chris has strived for excellence and commanded respect,” Thompson said successful a statement.

“His transportation to our past, enactment attributes, and knowing of what it takes to triumph made him the close prime to pb america into 2025 and beyond.”

Morris takes connected a once-proud squad that has struggled successful caller years and hasn’t made the playoffs since 2019.

Thompson was revealed arsenic the club’s archetypal backstage proprietor successful August. The franchise had been community-owned since its founding successful 1949.