Richard Wade

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Coach Richard Wade followed long-time coach and father, Dewey Wade, into a Canadian Football League career path. The former Kansas State Wildcat and San Francisco 49er held coaching assignments at the University of Buffalo, University of Maryland, Kansas State University and Utah State University, and scouted with such National Football league programs as the Baltimore Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys. Dewey Wade coached under Ray Jauck in the CFL with the Edmonton Eskimos, also coaching professionally with the Continental Football League with the Omaha Mustangs.

Dewey Wade capped off his college football as an All Star appearing in the 1955 Hula Bowl and the following year returned to the game with the San Francisco 49ers where he faced off against future Green Bay Packer legend Forrest Gregg. Years later Gregg in his role as Ottawa Renegades Vice President hired Richard Wade (2005) into initially a scouting role and later that year into a dual player personnel and assistant coaching roles with the Ottawa Renegade Football Club.

Wade would be named as Offensive Line and Special Teams Assistant Coach and responsible for the operation of the club's Player Personnel department working closely with Forrest Gregg, the Renegades executive Vice President.

The press announcement of Wade's hire in Ottawa described Wade as follows:

Forrest Gregg announced Friday that Richard Wade has been named to the new position of Director of Football Development. Wade, a Los Angeles native will serve in a multi dimensional role as an assistant special teams coach, be involved in Canadian and U.S. player talent evaluations, facilitate player contracts and act as a liaison between the Renegades media department and the Renegade coaching and personnel department. Wade has taken over his new role in the Renegades office effective today. (Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa Sun)

Forrest Gregg stated that “Richard is a bright young man who has a widerange of talents that will well serve the Renegade organization.”

Head coach John Jenkins stated “Richard has already served us well as a regional scout in the Western United States, plus I worked with him when he was a guest coach with the Calgary Stampeders, so I know he will be a major asset for our organization." (http://www.lionbackers.com/cheer/viewtopic.php?t=14635&start=15)

After the Ottawa Renegades team was suspended Wade was picked up by the British Columbia Lions Football Club, (http://www.lionbackers.com/cheer/viewforum.php?f=2&topicdays=0&start=350) and served as a pro personnel scout covering the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers.

In the 2006 Grey Cup Championship, after winning the Western Division Final, the BC Lions defeated the Montreal Alouettes 25-14 to cap off a highly successful season, which included CFL Rookie of the Year award Aaron Hunt, Most Outstanding Canadian and defensive Linemen DE Brent Johnson, CFL Top Offensive Linemen and CFL Most Outstanding Player Geroy Simon, Head Coach Wally Buono would later be named CFL Coach of the Year. Returning in 2007 Wade would continue to work with Bob O'Billovich, the BC Lions Director of Player Personnel as a Regional Scout. BC Lions Cameron Wake was named CFL Rookie of the Year marking another stellar scouting season as Wade has now been involved with three scouting programs in four years and has three CFL most outstanding rookies from this time. The BC Lions have eight of the last ten Rookie of the Year award winners.

12 March 2008 Wade joins Bob O'Billovich and the Hamilton Tiger-Cat in the Eastern Division of the Canadian Football League.(http://www.lionbackers.com 3/11/2008)