The Edmonton Elks are reportedly set to announce the hiring of the team’s new president and CEO tomorrow.
A press conference has been called at Commonwealth Stadium for Thursday morning, where the Elks will announce Chris Morris, former player and current head coach of the University of Alberta Golden Bears, as the team’s new president.
Edmonton Sports Talk was the first outlet to report the news.
As per The Reid Wilkins Show, @yegsportstalk can now confirm.
Chris Morris will be introduced as the new President the Edmonton Elks tomorrow.
— Dustin Nielson (@nielsonTSN1260) October 30, 2024
The 56-year-old former offensive lineman has been coaching the Golden Bears for the past 11 years and is a former CFL player who played 237 games with Edmonton throughout 14 seasons. Morris captured three titles in the Alberta capital and played in five Grey Cup games with the club between 1992 and 2005.
Morris was inducted into the Elks Wall of Honour in 2008.
This hiring marks the franchise’s first significant front-office move since owner Larry Thompson took over the team over the summer. Morris will replace Rick Lelaucher, who acted as the team’s interim president and CEO this past season.
Morris will be the team’s first permanent president and CEO since Victor Cui formally left after two disastrous seasons in 2022 and 2023.
With this out of the way, the Elks are expected to shift their attention to finding a new GM and head coach for the football team. Current GM Geroy Simons and head coach Jarious Jackson have the interim title on their current positions and are not guaranteed to stick around into next season.
Edmonton had yet another forgettable season, finishing with a 7-11-0 record and missing the playoffs for a fourth straight season.
The team did, however, improve greatly in the past couple of seasons. Those seven wins were the most by the Elks in a season since 2019.