It was April of 2020 and Jason Hogan settled into his chair for his virtual coaches’ clinic presentation to a group of football tutors from different levels across the country. Little did he know the session would ultimately be the start of something with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Among the assembled for Hogan’s session – he was then the Université de Montréal Carabins running backs coach and assistant offensive coordinator – was Blue Bombers assistant coach Buck Pierce, then the club’s freshly-minted offensive coordinator.
What’s the old saying about never knowing who is watching, or who you might be inspiring?
“It’s a small football world and we all have connections,” began the Blue Bombers new running backs coach in a chat with bluebombers.com. “And although this connection with Buck was from my outer circle and not my immediate connections, he has coached with people who I worked with during my time with the (Montreal) Alouettes.
“But, yes, I guess it could be seen now as a bit of a job interview. What’s funny is Winnipeg’s offence has always been one of my favourites to study and watch because they are a little exotic. They do some things well and they seem like a creative group. I can’t wait to get out there. I’m really ready to dive into this thing and work with a great group of guys.”
Hogan was officially welcomed aboard by the club last Friday and he’ll replace Pete Costanza, who left to join the Toronto Argonauts, as the one change to Mike O’Shea’s coaching staff for 2022.
A Montreal product who was part of Laval’s Vanier Cup championship squad in 2006 as a quarterback – “I was more a Streveler type” he explained – Hogan has worked his way up the coaching ladder to get to the Blue Bombers. After his playing days he began coaching at the CGEP level in Quebec before landing a gig with the Alouettes in 2016 as an offensive assistant while also working in the club’s ticketing department and as a youth football program coordinator in helping organize the Anthony Calvillo Leadership Academy for Quarterbacks.
“It’s a different path,” he said with a chuckle. “But it got me to where I am today.”
Hogan said leaving the Carabins program wasn’t an easy decision, especially given the stability a coaching job in U Sports can provide. He and his wife Ivana also just welcomed their first child to the world, with Noah about to turn four months old.
“I was torn at first because of the relationships I have there,” he said. “It’s a phenomenal group and the running backs and receivers I coached were amazing – I’m sure we’ll see a couple in the CFL this year and in the following years. The staff made it feel like home and I had a good situation there both in terms of stability and financially.
“But like I’ve been telling everybody when a guy like Buck Pierce calls – and I watched him in the CFL and loved his game – you’ve got to listen. And then when there’s a follow-up call from Coach O’Shea, who I’ve heard nothing but great stuff about, you have to consider it.
“It was the right time in our lives to do this. We said, ‘How many times is an opportunity like this going to come around?’ How many times is a guy like Coach Osh going to call, after winning two Grey Cups in a row, about a job and this opportunity?’”
Hogan has already had Zoom coaching discussions with Pierce, as well as Blue Bombers offensive line coach Marty Costello and receivers coach Kevin Bourgoin. On the day he chatted with bluebombers.com he also had scheduled telephone calls with running backs Brady Oliveira and Johnny Augustine.
“After my conversations with Buck and Coach Osh I got on the horn myself and called some people I know and asked, ‘How do things go in Winnipeg? What do you feel about this staff and these guys?’” Hogan said. “Everything I heard was so positive. Then you’ve got a guy like Zach (Collaros) coming off an MVP season, a great O-line, the stability with a guy like Osh who has been there for seven years, Buck has been there for six years and Marty (Costello) as well. All that put together made it seem like such a good opportunity.
“There’s a slew of reasons for jumping at an opportunity like this – the winning organization, the team culture, everything I’ve heard about the team and how things are done. You see all those players restructuring contracts in the past and coming back to Winnipeg, that speaks volumes to me. People want to be there because things are done right. This is a people business, and you want to be surrounded by the right people.”
