 LaPolice with TSN in 2024 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1970-06-12)June 12, 1970 (age 55) Nashua, New Hampshire, U.S.[1] |
| Career information | |
| College | Plymouth State College |
| Career history | |
| 2000–2001 | Toronto Argonauts (Quarterbacks coach, receivers coach, running backs coach) |
| 2002–2003 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Offensive coordinator, receivers coach, running backs coach) |
| 2004–2005 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Receivers coach) |
| 2006 | Toronto Argonauts (Receivers coach) |
| 2007 | Saskatchewan Roughriders (Receivers coach) |
| 2008–2009 | Saskatchewan Roughriders (Offensive coordinator) |
| 2010–2012 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Head coach) |
| 2016–2019 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Offensive coordinator) |
| 2020–2022 | Ottawa Redblacks (Head coach) |
| 2025–present | Canadian men's national flag football team (Head coach) |
| Awards and highlights | |
Paul LaPolice (born June 12, 1970) is an Americanfootball coach who is the head coach of the Canadian men's national flag football team. He is also a broadcaster forTSN.
He has also served as thehead coach for theWinnipeg Blue Bombers andOttawa Redblacks of theCanadian Football League (CFL). He is a two-timeGrey Cup champion as an assistant coach, with theSaskatchewan Roughriders in2007 and with theWinnipeg Blue Bombers in2019.
LaPolice was born and raised inNashua, New Hampshire. After graduating fromNashua High School, he attendedPlymouth State College where he played as awide receiver on thefootball team.[2] LaPolice earned hisBachelor of Science degree inphysical education in 1994.
He broke into the coaching ranks in 1993 atMaine Maritime Academy where he served as the receivers andtight ends coach on a 9–1 team that won the NEFC and ECAC championship.[2] The next year, he coached receivers atWestern Connecticut State University. He left to become the receivers coach at theUniversity of New Hampshire for the next two seasons (1995–1996).[3] In 1997, he was named thequarterbacks and receivers coach atRensselaer Polytechnic Institute.[2] The following year, he was promoted tooffensive coordinator where his offences broke 21 offensive school records in two seasons (1998–1999). In 1998,tailback Krishaun Gilmore was named UCAA and ECAC Player of the Year and a first team all American selection and finished second in the nation in rushing under LaPolice.[4] The next year, quarterback Matt Robbens was also named UCAA and ECAC Player of the Year making the second in two years under LaPolice, as he led Rensselear to an undefeated regular season.[5]
LaPolice entered theCanadian Football League in2000 whenToronto Argonauts head coachJohn Huard hired him to become the team's Quarterbacks and receivers coach.[2][6][7] He spent two years in this capacity until he joined theWinnipeg Blue Bombers and became their offensive coordinator, quarterbacks, receivers andrunning backs coach. The club set 14 offensive team records in 2002, includingKhari Jones throwing for a team record 46touchdowns andslotbackMilt Stegall catching a league-record 23 touchdown passes and being named theCFL's Most Outstanding Player.[7][8] The offence faltered with a strugglingKhari Jones in2003 and LaPolice was let go at the conclusion of the season.
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In2004 he joined theHamilton Tiger-Cats as the team's receivers coach and stayed with the team for two years until rejoining the Toronto Argonauts, again, as the receivers coach. After former Argos' offensive coordinatorKent Austin was hired as head coach of theSaskatchewan Roughriders, LaPolice joined him as that team's receivers coach. After Austin left the team and Roughrider offensive coordinatorKen Miller was promoted to head coach, LaPolice was, in turn, promoted to offensive coordinator in 2008.[7] The team finished 12–6 in 2008 and lost in the first round of the playoffs. In 2009, the Roughriders finished in first place in the West Division for the first time in 33 years, won the West final and lost in theGrey Cup final to theMontreal Alouettes on the last play. LaPolice's offence finished second in scoring and in touchdowns scored as he helped first year starting quarterbackDarian Durant to a Western Division All Star nomination.
On February 5, 2010, LaPolice was hired as the 28th head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.[7][9] His first season as head coach of the Blue Bombers saw the team win only four games and miss the playoffs while setting a CFL record for most losses by four points or less (nine times).[10] The following year, the LaPolice helped to orchestrate one of the biggest turnarounds in CFL history as the Blue Bombers finished first place in their Division for the first time since 2001. The team also earned a berth in theGrey Cup, but lost to theBC Lions in the championship game. LaPolice was named a finalist for the CFL Coach of the Year in 2011 and given a contract extension during the offseason. However, after the club's poor start to the 2012 season, LaPolice was relieved of coaching duties by general managerJoe Mack midway through the season.[9]
After three years as a broadcaster, LaPolice returned to coaching as he re-joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as their offensive coordinator, marking his third stint with the team.[11][2] The Bombers led the CFL in points scored in 2017 and tailback Andrew Harris was named Most Outstanding Canadian in the CFL. The team again led the CFL in a number of offensive categories including Points scored, Offensive Points, TDs scored and rushing yards per game. In January 2019, the Roughriders requested to interview LaPolice for their vacant head coaching position, but the Bombers refused to grant them permission.[12] LaPolice would go on to with the107th Grey Cup with the Blue Bombers at the conclusion of the2019 CFL season. The offence led the CFL in rushing again as well as finished 2nd in Scoring while playing three different QBs throughout the season.
On December 7, 2019, it was announced that LaPolice had agreed to a three-year contract to become the head coach of theOttawa Redblacks.[13] After the2020 CFL season was cancelled, he led the Redblacks to back-to-back 3–11 records before his dismissal on October 1, 2022.[14]
In May 2025, LaPolice was hired as the head coach of the Canadian men's national flag football team.[15]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Result | |||
| WPG | 2010 | 4 | 14 | 0 | .222 | 4th in East Division | – | – | Failed to Qualify | |
| WPG | 2011 | 10 | 8 | 0 | .556 | 1st in East Division | 1 | 1 | Lost inGrey Cup | |
| WPG | 2012 | 2 | 6 | 0 | .250 | 4th in East Division | – | – | Fired | |
| OTT | 2020 | Season cancelled | ||||||||
| OTT | 2021 | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 4th in East Division | – | – | Failed to Qualify | |
| OTT | 2022 | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 4th in East Division | – | – | Fired | |
| Total | 22 | 50 | 0 | .306 | 1 Division Championship | 1 | 1 | 0Grey Cups | ||
TSN brought LaPolice on board as a guest analyst for the 2012 playoffs. From 2013 to 2015, LaPolice worked full-time for theCFL on TSN, hosting a segment called the "Coach's Playbook" and appearing occasionally on the TSN panel.[16][2]
LaPolice and his wife Tina have three children together. The family resides year-round inOttawa, Ontario.
Media related toPaul LaPolice at Wikimedia Commons