‘A special thing’: Mueller returns to Regina to join Riders’ coaching staff

Every time Marc Mueller enters Mosaic Stadium, he’ll be reminded of the impact his grandfather had on the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The Riders’ new offensive co-ordinator’s grandfather was Ron Lancaster, whose statue stands outside the stadium where Mueller will be working.

“I think it’s a special thing,” Mueller said Wednesday. “I get to see the statue of my grandpa out there. There’s pictures — I walked by the picture of the ’89 (Riders) team and you can see my dad standing on his toes to look tall. Those things are pretty cool.

“It was a bit different this morning (seeing the statue as a team employee) … It’s pretty cool. Not many people have a family member who has a statue out in front and especially of someone who has not only been special to our family but the entire country and the CFL.”

On Wednesday at Mosaic Stadium, Mueller met the media for the first time as the team’s offensive co-ordinator under new head coach Corey Mace.

Not only was Mueller’s grandfather one of the greatest players ever to play in the CFL and a three-time Grey Cup winner as a player and coach, but his dad Larry was the team’s assistant general manager from 1989 to ’92.

The younger Mueller said he embraces the pressure that comes with having family members who have had so much success in the city.

“I lived here and it didn’t matter when I played, it was always, ‘Who he is and he’s Lancaster’s grandson. He gets an article in the paper because he’s Lancaster’s grandson,’ ” Mueller said. “I’ve embraced that, I’m proud of that and I’m excited for it. I think that’s an awesome thing. Without that, I don’t know what I’m doing.

“I had the best seat in the house my entire life on how to learn about football and quarterbacking and coaching. I’m excited to embrace that and hopefully my kids get to hang around it.”

Mueller, 34, is familiar with the pressures that come from playing or coaching football in Saskatchewan even if his grandfather wasn’t one of the team’s legends. Mueller played with the Sheldon-Williams Spartans before starring with the University of Regina Rams.

“It’s a place that loves football and I think it’s an exciting place to work,” he said. “And in the CFL, I think there’s certain jobs everyone would love to be a part of and experience and I think this is at the top of the list.”

Mueller had been a coach with the Calgary Stampeders for the past decade, working as a defensive assistant (2014), running backs coach (2015-19) and quarterbacks coach (2020-23). It was in Calgary where he met Mace, who was a player with the Stamps prior to becoming a defensive line coach there as well.

“Corey was our nose (tackle) in 2014 when I was the defensive assistant – I was in charge of game breakdowns and making coffee and things like that,” Mueller said.

“Corey is just such a great person and a great leader. I think he won the Presidents’ Ring that year, which is a pretty big award for leadership in not only the locker room but the community.

“He’s always just been a really good teammate … What you see, that’s who he is and I’m really excited to be a part of that.”

Work will now begin for the first-time CFL offensive co-ordinator on implementing his own system for the first time. But he said it’s going to be a group effort.

“It’s not just my offence, it’s going to be ours – that’s as much the other coaches who will be on staff and the players as well,” Mueller said.

“The most important thing you need is that you have the same voice as the head guy – which will be Corey – and then it’s our job as assistants to continue that voice and then the voice from the playcaller to the quarterback and I think we should all speak the same language and I’m excited to be a part of that.”