Lethbridge’s Kilam making strides in coaching

By Lethbridge Herald on September 3, 2025.

Graham Kelly 

Inside the CFL

“You’re from Lethbridge, aren’t you? I asked Edmonton Elks head coach Mark Kilam. “I sure am,” he enthusiastically replied. He attended LCI, playing for the Rams. His sweater is on display at the Bridge city’s fabled football power. He credits high school coaches Cliff Walters and Ian Lowe for setting him on the right path, as well as his physician father who showed him the value of hard work. As a player and a coach at the high school level, Kilam has fond memories of Medicine Hat High School’s Quinn Skeleton now in his 36th year coaching the Hawks.

There have been outstanding players from Southern Alberta high school ranks who have gone on to careers in the Canadian Football League. Jim Furlong and Hall of Famer Lloyd Fairbanks come to mind from the southwest, while Dan Federkeil, Nate Coehoorn and Aaron Crawford from the South East. There have been legendary coaches like Lethbridge’s Jim Whitelaw and Medicine Hat High’s Quinn Sketelton, McCoy’s Brian Macaulay and Al Ruckaber and Al Bloomfield from Crescent Heights. But only one high school graduate has gone on to become a head coach in the CFL, Lethbridge native Mark Kilam.

Upon graduation, Kilam went to the University of Alberta. While many future coaches take a Bachelor of Education with a major in Physical Education, Kilam took the more difficult route, one that is often compared to Pre-Med studies. “I studied a lot of anatomy,” he chuckled. His Physical Education major was in sports and performance. He played linebacker for the Golden Bears.

After U. Of A. Kilam coached on the defensive staff of the Southern Alberta All-Star team in the Provincial Senior Bowl between 2003 and 2005, as well as Cochrane Cobras winning three provincial championships. Talking about his development, Aaron Crawford said, “I’ve had really good experiences with coaches, especially Mark Kilam in my high school senior bowl in 2005. He was really up beat and you could tell he loved the game…” That same year Kilam joined the Calgary Stampeders. He spent his first five years as the strength and conditioning coach, an entry level position that doesn’t pay very well. (“How did he make a living?” I asked. “I worked at three jobs.”) The next fifteen seasons he was the special teams coordinator, the last five also the Assistant Head Coach. During his twenty years with the club he won three Grey Cups in six tries. He may be a rookie head coach but he is well-versed in every aspect of the game. Everyone at McMahon thought the world of him.

Why did he choose Edmonton? “They chose me,” he replied. “After we missed the play-offs last year, Calgary decided to make sweeping changes, and I was left looking for a job. I contacted B.C. and Edmonton, was interviewed and got the job.” Was the interview just about coaching stuff or did the attendance problem come up? “That was a big part of it. We talked about reaching out to the community and getting the fans back.”

His roster underwent a major overhaul. “Everything’s new. The front office is new, the coaching staff is new, the players are new and I’m new,” he said.

Kilam is full of praise of former Stamp head coach John Hufnagel. When it comes to current coach and GM Dave Dickenson who made the decision to part ways with his assistant, not so much.

Leaving Calgary wasn’t his idea. You put down deep roots in a place over twenty years. His departure from the Stampeders was neither mutual nor amiable. He and his family loved Calgary and would have been happy to remain in the bunk house for years to come. He left with his head held high and no recriminations. His children start new high schools in Edmonton this week. Pro sport is a business that can be very hard on families.

Mark Kilam has inherited a team that has been a disaster on the field and at the gate. It is a challenge that highly experienced coaches would find daunting.

Losing Monday 28-7 wasn’t the home coming Kilam wanted. The teams go at it again Saturday in Edmonton. It is hard to anticipate a different result, especially since Stamp quarterback Vernon Adams, Jr can and likely will play much better than on Labour Day.