GREAT FALLS — The Great Falls duo of brothers Craig and Dave Dickenson are back into their roles as head coaches in the Canadian Football League after having to take last season off with the interruption of COVID-19.
Craig is the head coach for the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Dave the head coach for the Calgary Stampeders. They grew up together playing at Great Falls CMR. They both went on to play at the University of Montana, where Dave became arguably the state’s most coveted football player of all time. The two now get to square off against each other throughout the season battling and competing for the Grey Cup each year. For right now though, they’re just focused on getting the season going despite all the COVID-19 restrictions in Canada.
“There’s a sense of patience us coaches don’t have and to just say hey, we gotta be a little more patient, everything is going to take a little longer and we’ll figure it out as we go along,” Craig Dickenson said in a press conference. “Just today, it’d be great to take the guys out to the bowling alley and give them an afternoon off just to get together…can’t do it.”
With the limited social interaction however, the players can lean on the solace that they at least get to play football in any capacity and have a full season.
“I think the guys not having football all those 18 months really enjoy being back out here and getting it going and as coaches, we do as well,” Dave Dickenson explained. "You can tell there is extra energy.”
Alongside the Stampeders will be former Montana State University standout Dakota Prukop, who played quarterback for the Bobcats from 2013-2015. Prukop signed as a free agent in February and will have the chance to be coached by another Montana native in coach Dave Dickenson.
Both teams are the middle of their training camp and will continue to count the days until first kickoff in just under two weeks. The two teams square off against each other Oct. 2 in Calgary.
