There will be a new head coach in charge of the West-shore Rebels for the 2013 B.C. Football Conference season as defensive co-ordinator Scott Mennie takes over from John Cardilicchia, who decided to step down.
Rebels' president Roger Wade posted the news late Wednesday on his Facebook account, stating Cardilicchia - who has been with the team since 1998 - stepped away for family and business reasons.
That 1998 season was Mennie's second in the BCFC as a Rebels' linebacker. He was a Canadian Junior Football League all-star in 1998 and '99 and the CJFL's defensive player of the year in 1999 before moving on to star at the University of Manitoba.
He was drafted 30th overall by the Canadian Football League's Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2005.
"It will be different handling both sides of the ball. Right now I had been watching our defence and opposing offences. Now I'll be worrying about all 24 guys on both sides of the ball," said Mennie, 33, who works as an insurance underwriter.
Mennie will also be handling recruiting for the Rebels, which he had a hand in last year.
He's looking forward to the challenges on and off the field.
"I definitely am. I think I'm ready for it," he said.
"Once I stopped playing football, I knew I wanted to be a coach and a head coach, and here it is."
He's been on the Rebels' staff as an assistant for six seasons and he doesn't expect a lot of changes on his staff.
"I think we have the building blocks in place," he said, and he definitely will not be looking for a defensive coordinator.
"I'm not so sure I'm willing to give up those powers just yet," he said with a chuckle. "We've taken a few years putting in a matched-zone defence and I kind of want to see that through."
Cardilicchia, meanwhile, will remain on the Rebels' board of directors where they will use his knowledge and experience.
Referring to Mennie in a team statement, Cardilicchia said: "I believe he is the perfect choice providing he can focus on coaching and recruiting and has the support he needs to run a competitive program."
There were discussions regarding the change as the year progressed.
"I am very excited to work with Scott as he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the position.
Scott was a great player in the CJFL, CIS and the CFL and his work ethic is second to none," Wade said in his statement.
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