Dave Dickenson to return as head coach and GM of the Calgary Stampeders

CALGARY — Dave Dickenson will return as coach and general manager of the Calgary Stampeders next season, getting another chance to turn the team’s fortunes around after it missed the playoffs for the second time in three years.

A Stampeders official confirmed Dickenson’s return to The Canadian Press on Wednesday.

Dickenson, a former star quarterback with Calgary and the B.C. Lions, has been the Stampeders’ head coach since 2016. He added general manager to his duties in 2023.

Dickenson expressed a desire to return to both roles during his season-ending media availability Sunday.

“My plan is (to be) back and be better next year and do the right things, but I have to look at it overall. There’s always going to be change. There always is,” Dickenson said, one day after the Stamps were officially eliminated from the playoffs.

The Stampeders made the playoffs in Dickenson’s first seven seasons as head coach and reached the Grey Cup in his first three, winning in 2018.

But Calgary hasn’t won a playoff game since and has missed the post-season twice in four seasons since Dickenson became GM in 2023.

The team’s failure to qualify in 2024 ended a streak of 18 consecutive playoff appearances.

Calgary finished 9-9 despite scoring a league-high 632 points. The Stampeders allowed 587 points, the second-most in the CFL behind Ottawa, and went 4-5 at McMahon Stadium.

Calgary was eliminated from playoff contention in the final week of the regular season when Winnipeg rallied to beat B.C. while the Stampeders were on a bye.

“We understand though that 9-9 wasn’t good enough and we got to make sure we put ourselves in the best chance to win more games next year,” Dickenson said.

Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. defended the coaching staff during Sunday’s media session, saying the players needed to take responsibility for Calgary’s disappointing finish.

“The coaches can only do so much,” Adams said. “But we’re the ones on the field, and we’re the ones who need to make the plays and get over that hump.”

Dickenson is one of two in the CFL to hold down head coach and GM roles, along with Ottawa’s Ryan Dinwiddie.

“I enjoy the grind and enjoy the process,” he said of the double-duty.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2026.

The Canadian Press