Billings, Montana – New Argos Head Coach Bart Andrus is wasting no time assembling his 2009 coaching staff as the team announced that veteran NFL offensive lineman Ron Heller will join the Toronto Argonauts as Offensive Line Coach. This is the second coaching appointment Andrus has made in the week since he was named the Club’s 40th Head Coach.
Bart Andrus commented, “Ron is probably the ultimate player’s coach at the offensive line because of his experience at the position. He not only creates a great learning environment, but every offensive lineman who has played for Coach Heller always says it was the best coaching they ever got. After spending three years with him in Amsterdam, I have found that we are cohesive and think alike. He may be the only Offensive Line Coach who likes to throw the ball as much as run it, which is conducive to the CFL game.”
Ron Heller has a first-hand, working knowledge of what it takes to thrive in professional football. A 12-year starter in the National Football League, Heller played offensive tackle for Tampa Bay, Philadelphia and Miami, and blocked for the likes of Hall of Fame QB Dan Marino and Pro Bowl QBs Randall Cunningham and Jim McMahon. Since leaving the field, Heller has gained coaching experience with the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europa.
Heller utilized the expertise he gained as a player to secure a full-time coaching position with the Admirals in 2004. Then Head Coach Bart Andrus hired him as the team’s Assistant Offensive Line Coach, a position he held for one season. Following his first year in Europe, Heller was invited to Tennessee Titans’ training camp as a camp intern. In 2006, he returned to Amsterdam as the Offensive Line Coach and his team made it all the way to the World Bowl game. His movement up the ranks was swift, and just one year later he was promoted to Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach in his third season as a coach.
Heller remarked, “First and foremost, I’m very excited to work with Bart Andrus again. I have the utmost respect for him as a coach and as a person. He is a great guy to be around – you learn from him when he’s not even trying to teach. I’m excited about the opportunity to be with Toronto, a proud and great organization. I’m anxious get there, get to work and meet the offensive linemen I will be coaching.”
The former Penn State standout was a two-year starter at tackle who won the 1983 Sugar Bowl (national championship). He was drafted in the fourth round, 112th overall, in the 1984 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was named to the NFL All-Rookie team. He was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, via the Seattle Seahawks, in 1988, and in 1989, he was named the Eagles’ Offensive MVP by teammates. Heller signed as a free agent with Miami in 1993 and played two seasons before retiring.
The Argos received praise for the hire from Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Don Shula who remarked, “I had the opportunity to work with Ron Heller for a few years and he always impressed me with his knowledge of the game. He is certainly an expert on Offensive Line play but also knows all of the different positions. This is what makes him special. He is very aware of what is going with the entire offence. I think he will make an excellent addition to the Toronto Argonauts coaching staff.”
ESPN talk show host/analyst and former teammate Mike Golic offered some insight into Heller: “Ron and I were teammates for quite a few years and we also played against each other in college. Ron does what he has to do to get the job done. He embodies toughness and preparedness. He knows his opponents and how to defeat them. These attributes spill over into his coaching. His players will be prepared and tough.”
COACHING EXPERIENCE SUMMARY:
2007: Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach, Amsterdam Admirals (NFLE)
2006: Offensive Line Coach, Amsterdam Admirals (NFLE)
2004: Assistant Offensive Line Coach, Amsterdam Admirals (NFLE)