| BC Lions | |
 Pierce with the Blue Bombers in 2022 | |
| Born: | (1981-11-15)November 15, 1981 (age 43) Hutchinson, Kansas, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| CFL status | American |
| Position(s) | Head coach Offensive coordinator |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| College | New Mexico State |
| High school | Crescent City (CA) Del Norte |
| Hand | Right |
| Career history | |
| As coach | |
| 2014–2015 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers (RB) |
| 2016–2019 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers (QB) |
| 2020–2024 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers (OC) |
| 2025–present | BC Lions (HC/OC) |
| As player | |
| 2005–2009 | BC Lions |
| 2010–2013 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
| 2013 | BC Lions |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career stats | |
| |
Buck James Pierce (born November 15, 1981) is an American professionalfootball coach who is thehead coach andoffensive coordinator of theBC Lions of theCanadian Football League (CFL). He is a former professionalquarterback who played nine seasons for the Lions andWinnipeg Blue Bombers of theCanadian Football League (CFL). He spent the first five years of his career with the Lions before signing with the Blue Bombers for the2010 CFL season. During the2013 CFL season, he rejoined the Lions when the Blue Bombers traded him forAkeem Foster.[1] He played in twoGrey Cup games, winning a championship in2006 and also won as part of the coaching staff with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in2019 and2021. He played college football atNew Mexico State from 2001–2004, starting at quarterback for most of his senior year.
The son of Tim and Connie Pierce, he attendedDel Norte High School, inCrescent City, California. He was a three-year starter at Del Norte, guiding the Warriors to a 16-4 record as a junior and senior.
He passed for 2,225 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior in 1999, earning Big 5 Conference Most Valuable Player honors for the second consecutive season. He broke the school's single-season and career records for both passing yardage and passing touchdowns in 1999. Buck threw for 2,010 yards and 19 touchdowns as a junior in 1998 and 1,180 yards and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore in 1997.
He was voted to the Times Standard North Coast California All-Century team. He qualified for North State meet as a long jumper, leaping better than 22 feet as a junior. He also led DNHS to a pair of league titles as a starting guard on the basketball squad.
Pierce attendedNew Mexico State University, inLas Cruces, New Mexico[2] where he majored inkinesiology. In 2001, on his first run from scrimmage as a college player, Pierce ripped off a 75-yard run against Louisville. He did not throw an interception in 2001 and did not throw one in 2002 until the fourth quarter against North Texas (11/16) in the next to last game of the season.
Wearing the #11 jersey, he started seven games as a sophomore, and took the top job in 2004 as a senior. He consistently posted high efficiency ratings as a college quarterback.
Pierce signed a free agent contract with theBC Lions of theCanadian Football League on May 16,2005 after being passed over by theSaskatchewan Roughriders.
Pierce began the season as the third-string quarterback, making his CFL debut on Aug 19, 2005 versusHamilton. In this game, he completed all three of his passes and also threw his first CFL touchdown pass, torunning backAntonio Warren, in a 39-15 win over the Tiger-Cats.[3] After injuries to starterDave Dickenson and backupCasey Printers, Pierce earned his first career start in Week 16 atWinnipeg (Oct 10/05), a 44-23 loss, completing 12-of-22 passes for 133 yards.[4]
After Casey Printers left for theNFL in2006, Pierce was elevated to the backup quarterback position behind Dave Dickenson. Once Dickenson was injured in week 8 against theEdmonton Eskimos, Buck was again elevated to starter status, this time for two straight games and earned his first CFL win as a starter as the team won both games. Dickenson returned only to leave the Sept 24 game against theSaskatchewan Roughriders with post-concussion symptoms, leaving Pierce to start the next game against the Tiger-Cats, also a win. He started each of the next three games until playing poorly in the third game against Hamilton where Dickenson reclaimed his starter's position. Pierce went 5-1 as a starter as he led the CFL in completion percentage (73.7%) and had the second highestquarterback rating (109.0).[1]. At the conclusion of the season, Pierce shared in the Lions championship, playing for a few snaps in the94th Grey Cup.
In2007, then-starterDave Dickenson suffered yet another concussion, in week 3, and Pierce stepped up to assume the role of starting quarterback. By mid-August, Pierce was hobbled by injuries to his ribs, toe, hand, and shoulder, but he persevered in the starting role until finally relinquishing the role to third-stringer Jarious Jackson, who performed well himself. The Lions finished a team record 14-3-1, but succumbed to theSaskatchewan Roughriders in theWest Final. Due to his frequent injuries, Pierce has been referred to as theLions' "walking bruise".[5] As of the end of 2007, he had started 11 games as a Lion, compiling a mark of 7-3-1.
With Dave Dickenson being released in the off-season, the starting quarterback's position was up for grabs for the2008 season. Following the 2008 pre-season and a tough competition with back-upJarious Jackson, Pierce was named theBC Lions starting quarterback. Because of an injury in the regular season opener, he acted as the back-up until Jackson's ineffective play led to Pierce returning as the starter againstMontreal onLabour Day Weekend. After manhandling the Roughriders in theWest Semi-Final, he led the Lions to theWest Final against Calgary where they were defeated for the fourth time that season.
The2009 season saw Pierce struggle with concussions and shoulder injuries. He was sidelined with the former in week 7 on August 14 in a game against Toronto.[6] He returned to play for the first time in week 12 on September 19, starting again against Toronto, after Jarious Jackson was injured in the previous game against Montreal. But again, Pierce was besieged with injuries and left the week 16 match-up with Winnipeg, leaving third stringerTravis Lulay to carry out a victory.
With Jackson sitting out the rest of the season, head coachWally Buono opted to sign former CFLMOPCasey Printers. In the Winnipeg game, Lulay had also injured himself towards the end of the game, forcing Buono to start Printers for the final three games of the regular season. When Printers was knocked out of the finale against Edmonton on November 6, Pierce came in, in relief, and was again knocked out with a shoulder injury. At season end Buono stated that not all five quarterbacks would be back in2010.[7][8]
On March 9, 2010, Buck Pierce was released by the BC Lions making him a free agent.[9]
Pierce signed with theWinnipeg Blue Bombers of theCanadian Football League on April 12, 2010.[10] He started Winnipeg's opening game of the 2010 CFL season against Hamilton on July 2, 2010. Pierce fought through an injury-plagued season, making only five starts with only three of those coming consecutively. Despite backupSteven Jyles playing well in his absence, the Blue Bombers showed their confidence in his progress in the off-season by trading Jyles to theToronto Argonauts in May 2011, leaving Pierce the undisputed starter.[11]
The2011 Winnipeg Blue Bombers season began with significant optimism as the team hoped to make the playoffs after failing to qualify the last two seasons. One of the major questions regarding the team's potential was the health of their starting quarterback Buck Pierce, who had missed 13 games the previous year due to injury. Throughout the season Buck Pierce's health would prove to be a minor concern despite taking some viscous hits by defenders. The Blue Bombers jumped out to a 7-1 record to start the season, leading the Eastern Conference. AfterLabour Day Weekend the Bombers began to struggle losing 6 of 9 games entering the final game of the season with a record of 10-8. Statistically Pierce did not have a great season, but he proved that he was a sufficiently healthy quarterback who could win games.
The2012 Winnipeg Blue Bombers season began with a great deal of optimism following the team's trip to the99th Grey Cup in the previous season. Pierce sustained a leg injury in July which caused him to miss multiple games. In only his second game (September 29, 2012) back from injury Pierce took a violent hit to his head, from which he received a concussion. By the conclusion of the season Pierce had only played in 7 of the 18 regular season games. The Blue Bombers finished the year 6-12 and missed the playoffs.
Heading into the2013 season the Bombers releasedJoey Elliott andAlex Brink leaving Pierce as the only QB on the roster with any CFL experience.
After Week 5, Pierce lost his starting job toJustin Goltz, and fell to No.3 in the depth chart behindMax Hall.
With the rise of young quarterbacks,Justin Goltz andMax Hall in Winnipeg,Joey Elliott being released in BC, and Pierce's inability to stay healthy, he was traded to BC on September 8, 2013, for non-import receiverAkeem Foster.[1] He played in five games for the Lions and started their last regular season game of 2013. Following a nine-year career, Pierce announced his retirement on March 4, 2014.[12]
| Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Games | Started | Att | Comp | Pct | Yards | Long | TD | Int | Rating | Att | Yards | Avg | Long | TD | Fumb | ||
| 2005 | BC | 18 | 1 | 71 | 43 | 60.6 | 679 | 54 | 3 | 1 | 100.6 | 15 | 104 | 6.9 | 17 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2006 | BC | 18 | 6 | 186 | 137 | 73.7 | 1,752 | 67 | 11 | 6 | 109.0 | 31 | 294 | 9.5 | 39 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2007 | BC | 15 | 4 | 127 | 81 | 63.8 | 1,013 | 35 | 5 | 3 | 91.7 | 22 | 164 | 7.5 | 20 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2008 | BC | 18 | 11 | 362 | 232 | 64.1 | 3,018 | 79 | 19 | 9 | 97.4 | 29 | 177 | 6.1 | 16 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2009 | BC | 17 | 12 | 315 | 199 | 63.2 | 2,272 | 62 | 10 | 12 | 79.5 | 39 | 276 | 7.1 | 23 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2010 | WPG | 5 | 5 | 120 | 80 | 66.7 | 1,080 | 90 | 6 | 4 | 97.9 | 22 | 237 | 10.8 | 43 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2011 | WPG | 16 | 16 | 411 | 261 | 63.5 | 3,348 | 92 | 14 | 18 | 82.0 | 51 | 324 | 6.4 | 48 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 2012 | WPG | 7 | 7 | 113 | 68 | 60.2 | 951 | 57 | 3 | 3 | 85.1 | 12 | 60 | 5.0 | 12 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2013 | WPG | 6 | 4 | 128 | 78 | 60.9 | 946 | 65 | 2 | 6 | 69.3 | 8 | 30 | 3.8 | 8 | 0 | 1 | ||
| BC | 5 | 1 | 36 | 21 | 58.3 | 230 | 43 | 3 | 1 | 93.5 | 4 | 18 | 4.5 | 15 | 1 | 0 | |||
| CFL totals | 125 | 67 | 1,869 | 1,200 | 64.2 | 15,289 | 92 | 76 | 63 | 89.2 | 233 | 1,684 | 7.2 | 48 | 14 | 18 | |||
| Playoffs | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Game | GP | GS | Att | Cmp | Yards | TD | Int | Att | Yards | TD |
| 2005 | West Final | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - |
| 2006 | West Final | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - |
| 2007 | West Final | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - |
| 2008 | West Semi-Final | 1 | 1 | 31 | 23 | 221 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| 2008 | West Final | 1 | 1 | 29 | 16 | 262 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 0 |
| 2009 | *East Semi-Final | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2009 | *East Final | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2011 | East Final | 1 | 1 | 28 | 16 | 175 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 66 | 0 |
| 2013 | West Semi-Final | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - |
| CFL totals | 7 | 3 | 88 | 55 | 658 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 89 | 0 | |
*Team qualified for Crossover
| Grey Cup | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | GP | GS | Att | Cmp | Yards | TD | Int | Att | Yards | TD |
| 2006 | BC | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | WPG | 1 | 1 | 37 | 19 | 250 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 0 |
| CFL totals | 2 | 1 | 37 | 19 | 250 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 0 | |
On March 7, 2014, only three days after announcing his retirement, Pierce was announced as therunning backs coach for theWinnipeg Blue Bombers.[13] He served in that capacity for two seasons before being named the team'squarterbacks coach on February 3, 2016.[14] In2019, Pierce coachedMatt Nichols,Chris Streveler, andZach Collaros as the latter was the team's starter in the team's victory over theHamilton Tiger-Cats in the107th Grey Cup.[15]
On January 21, 2020, Pierce was named theoffensive coordinator for the Blue Bombers as the incumbent,Paul LaPolice, left the team to become head coach of theOttawa Redblacks.[15] After the2020 CFL season was cancelled, Pierce's offense helped the team to a first place finish as Collaros was named theCFL's Most Outstanding Player and the Blue Bombers repeated asGrey Cup champions in their108th Grey Cup win. In his four seasons as the team's offensive coordinator, the Blue Bombers qualified for the championship game in each season and won once.[16]
On December 3, 2024, Pierce was named thehead coach of theBC Lions, the 28th in franchise history.[16] On January 2, 2025, it was confirmed that he would also serve as the team's offensive coordinator.[17]
Pierce and his wife live inWinnipeg, where he once owned abarbeque restaurant which closed in 2015. They have a daughter born in 2015.
