The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced on Monday they are parting ways with Head Coach Craig Dickenson. In addition, the Roughriders have extended Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Jeremy O’Day to a new contract extension.
This will be O’Day’s 26th season in Saskatchewan and sixth season as the ice President of Football Operations and General Manager. The Roughriders finished with a 6-12 record, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season.
“Jeremy has an excellent track record of identifying and bringing in quality talent to the Saskatchewan Roughriders with many players having gone on to have successful seasons including two 1,000-yard receivers in 2023,” said Roughriders President and CEO Craig Reynolds. “I am confident in his ability to find the next great Head Coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and to put together a team Rider Nation can be proud of.”
Jeremy O’Day wrapped up his fifth year as the team’s Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager. O’Day played 13 seasons in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts and Saskatchewan Roughriders as an offensive lineman.
He was a three-time CFL All-Star (2006-07, 2009), a three-time Grey Cup champion (1997, 2007, 2013), a six-time CFL West All-Star (2003, 2005-07, 2009-10), and a winner of the 2008 Tom Pate Memorial Award for community service.
After announcing his retirement on February 8th, 2011, O’Day was named Assistant General Manager of the Saskatchewan Roughriders on November 9th, 2011.
Craig Dickenson was the Roughriders Special Teams Coordinator before becoming the 47th Head Coach in Saskatchewan’s history on January 25, 2019. As a coach, Dickenson went 34-34, winning the West Division one time in 2019. He guided the Roughriders to two Western Finals but lost twice to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
“I want to thank Coach Dickenson for everything he has given to the Saskatchewan Roughriders over his ten years in Green and White. From his time as Special Teams Coordinator to his five seasons as a Head Coach, he gave all he had to the team and did it with kindness and respect,” said O’Day. “We appreciate his hard work and dedication and wish him all the best moving forward.”
Dickenson made his way to the CFL in 2002 as the Calgary Stampeders Running Backs Coach. In 2003, he left Calgary to take the same position with the Montreal Alouettes before returning to Calgary in 2004.
In 2005, he was promoted to Special Teams Coordinator. He spent five seasons in Calgary before leaving for the NFL’s Oakland Raiders as an Assistant Special Teams Coordinator in 2010. In 2011, he joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders as the Special Teams Coordinator. He was there for two years before leaving to take the same position with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2013.
After Winnipeg, he spent two seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos (now Elks) as the Special Teams Coordinator before returning to Saskatchewan in 2016. He held the position for four years before adding Head Coach to his resume.
