ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF
With files from The Canadian Press
TORONTO – There is no doubt that Argos GM & Head Coach Jim Barker made a significant impact on the Toronto team he inherited, but he seems to have also made an impact on fellow CFL Coach of the Year candidate Ken Miller.
ArgosTV caught up with Jim Barker from his off-season home in Arizona as he discusses being named a finalist for the 2010 CFL Coach of the Year.
» Click here to listen to interview
Miller, who led the Saskatchewan Roughriders to two consecutive Grey Cup appearances as a head coach, stated that although his personal nomination was a true testament to where the Riders organization is at, Barker should also be commended for the work he did in such a short period of time with the Double Blue.
“[Barker] took that team and really turned it around,” Miller said. “He came in and provided leadership and stability, brought in a good coaching staff and really brought them back to respectability.”
Miller and Barker were joined by Montreal Alouettes’ sideline boss Marc Trestman as the three finalist for the 2010 CFL Coach of the Year. A winner will be voted on by the Football Reporters of Canada and revealed on February 25 in Vancouver, B.C.
Barker took over a team that had gone 7-29 over a span of two years before taking over and leading the club to the Eastern Final.
Barker attributes the team’s turnaround to the front office, coaches and players all buying into a winning concept.
“It was having a group pull in the same direction,” he said from Phoenix, Arizona. “I’ve been in organizations where that wasn’t always the case; where there were agendas; where there was this and that. I think the number one thing was we were able to hire people and we kept players that all pulled in the same direction. When you have that you have the chance to be successful.”