Rourke Re-Loading For 2025 Bounce Back
If you walk into the BC Lions’ practice facility, you’ll likely run into quarterback Nathan Rourke. The Leos’ signal-caller has been hard at work grinding away in the weight room, meticulously watching film and learning new head coach Buck Pierce’s offence. When Rourke’s not grinding way within the facility, you can find him on the field, perfecting his craft with trainer Rob Williams.
This return of stability and routine is something the quarterback hasn’t experienced since he left for the NFL in 2023. From the day he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in January of that year to August of 2024, when his time down south came to an end in Atlanta, the signal caller’s life was a whirlwind, to say the least. Rourke was on four different rosters in a year and a half and wasn’t ever able to settle in.
“You’re literally just learning a new language wherever you go and that was difficult because I always felt like I was behind,” Rourke said.
“Being a leader at the quarterback position, you’re always trying to get to know your teammates and when you’re always the new guy, it’s hard when you walk into that situation.”
After navigating four changes of scenery, four new playbooks and four new sets of teammates while doing whatever he could to stay afloat and earn a roster spot in the NFL, Rourke decided to head back to the CFL last August. And it was indeed a whirlwind.
He was thrust into the starting role after less than a week of practice due to injuries to the team’s quarterback room. After not having many meaningful snaps in more than a year, Rourke didn’t play up to his lofty standards for himself.
“I certainly had higher expectations, probably thought that I could go in and just pick up where I left off, but I hadn’t played a ton of meaningful snaps in the time that I was gone,” he said.
“You’re humbled really quickly when you go down south and you bury yourself on the depth chart. I think it took me a minute to regain a little bit of my swagger, that kind of self-confidence in myself.”
When talking to Rourke, it’s apparent that he’s regained that lost swagger. He attributes a big part of his regained confidence to the Lions organization’s trust and belief in his abilities, something the 2022 Most Outstanding Canadian award winner doesn’t take for granted.
“There are people who believe in me and are giving me the keys and that’s exciting. That’s what you work hard for, right? And at the end of the day, I’m just excited to be in a place where I feel like I can grow and they’re going to invest in my growth,” Rourke said.
“My experience down south has led me to really appreciate that kind of belief from an organization. It doesn’t happen all the time. It’s very rare. There are only so many people on the planet that get that and I feel very lucky to be in a position.”
Nathan isn’t the only Rourke with a front office investing in his future. His brother Kurtis was just drafted in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. The Rourke family gathered in Kurtis’s home in Cincinnati together over the weekend and nervously watched on the edge of their seats as they waited for Kurtis’s name to be called.
“We weren’t really sure what to expect. There was a wide margin of where he could go. And every time that kind of team came up on day three, we were kind of on edge and kind of waiting,” said Nathan on the family watch party.
“The phone rang and everyone got really quiet and was listening. He was getting emotional and when he said it was the 49ers who were up on the clock, everyone went nuts.”
It was San Francisco quarterback coach Mick Lombardi who called the younger Rourke with the exciting news. Now, Kurtis has a legitimate shot to compete for the 49ers’ backup spot. He also happens to have a brother in Nathan, who’s been through the process of NFL training camp and can lean on him for guidance.
“I was asking him, ‘What did you do when you got to Indiana?’ I think he had all the right answers. He talked about earning people’s respect, not going there thinking that you deserve anything, working your tail off, and then earning your voice,” Nathan said.
“He also talked about treating everyone with respect in the building, your athletic therapists, your equipment staff, your training staff, nutritionists, anyone you come across, coaches, front office, you know, treating them with respect and showing face,” he continued.
“He did all those things in Indiana and I just kind of said, ‘hey, don’t change anything.’ I know that if he goes in with that approach, he’s going to have success.”
After a weekend away celebrating his brother’s big moment, Rourke is back in the Lions’ facility, mere hours after his return flight home had landed. He says hello to everyone in the building on his way to battling post-flight legs in the weight room during his lift.
With camp less than a week away, the grind doesn’t stop for the Lions’ starting quarterback and neither does his excitement for the start of the 2025 campaign. Rourke says he’s “fired up” to get to work with his teammates as they learn more about Pierce’s offence, build chemistry, and timing for when the bullets start flying in June. As the Lions do, they’ll have Rourke at the helm with his swagger back as camp is set to ensue.
Buckle up. It could be the sequel to Nathan’s outstanding ten-game sample size in 2022.
Bene and RP Embark On Next Chapter With Lions
Written by Nic Hauka with files from Matt Baker from bclions.com- The relationship between player and coach is one of the most special things about sports. The best coaches help their players grow not only on the field but also off it, building lifelong connections along the way. Nearly twenty years ago, as the Lions started training camp in Chilliwack, Mike Benevides and Ryan Phillips began to form that bond.
Back then, in 2005, things were very different for the pair. Benevides was a linebackers coach and special teams coordinator working to make a name for himself in the CFL. Phillips was just trying to make the Lions’ roster after being discovered at a free-agent camp. Benevides started getting a read on Phillips as the season progressed and saw a special individual.
“I wasn’t sure, because you could tell he had swag about him, but he didn’t say a lot. He wouldn’t say much, but you could see that mind really turning. Once he came out of that shell, you found him to be one of the great teammates in the room,” said Benevides.
“Ryan would get along with everyone, could joke with anyone, you know, he’d try and dance and be the best dancer and the best dresser, all this kind of stuff. But he is someone who is an excellent communicator, and he’s kind, and he could get along with anyone.”
Photo Credit: Brian Johnson, BC Lions.
The duo is here in Kamloops doing what they do best. Benevides is back for another stint as defensive coordinator, the position held by Phillips each of the last three seasons. Head coach Buck Pierce calls it “icing on the cake” to be able to retain Phillips in the role of secondary coach and pass game coordinator. Each of them has spent time away from the Lions. But the fact that they returned to the franchise along the way speaks volumes. Even if the beginning of the relationship saw a difference in philosophy.
Phillips could see early on why Benevides would become so successful as a coach, even if he didn’t agree on where he was placed on his future head coaches’ kickoff unit.
“I’ve always seen that he was a fiery, edgy guy who had a high demand, definitely wanted his expectations to be met. He was always detail-oriented. As a rookie, the way that you make the team is special teams,’ Phillips remembered.
“The thing I found weird was, in my rookie year, we had certain positions on kickoff. The L5 position is usually like a meathead guy that kind of runs down, and he’s in the middle of the kickoff,” he continued.
Well, he (Mike) puts me there. And I’m 190 pounds. I’m like, man, this is supposed to be for somebody that’s 220, 230. So I kind of look at him and I’m like, ‘I don’t think this is for me.’ This is crazy. So first preseason game, I’m just flying down there, I’m zigzagging through everything, right,” he recalled.
“So I’m zigzagging through everyone on kickoff and trying to make a play from that aspect. That was kind of my welcome, right? They just wanted to see my willingness to do it. For him to even trust me in that position and so forth was huge. I didn’t even see my ability from that aspect. Some people have a knack for being able to do that. It was definitely a first welcome experience between me and him, for sure.”
Photo credit: Paul Yates BC Lions
That year, Phillips went from L5 on the kickoff team to becoming a starter on the Lions’ defence. As his career trajectory quickly progressed, so did Benevides’.
“I went from becoming a starter in my rookie year. And then at that point, I started having some success as a player. He went from being a linebacker coach and a special teams coordinator to becoming a defensive coordinator. So as he was making transitions, I was too. We were able to do that together,” said Phillips.
The pair would go on to have great team and individual successes with the club, winning Grey Cups in 2006 and 2011. Phillips would set multiple Lions defensive records and be selected as a CFL All-Star four times. As for Benevides, he would be elevated after serving as defensive coordinator from 2008- 2011 to head coach of the Lions in 2012.
Along both of their paths to success, the two formed a tight-knit bond. A connection that goes beyond the game of football.
“My best memories, honestly, of him, are just seeing him be a dad, you know, with his family, his wife, and things like that,” Phillips remembered.
“He tried to incorporate them into everything. Seeing him be around, you know, having them at the games that we play, bringing him into the family room after games, like those things are huge, right?” he continued.
“You only get so many moments. Now I’m living it myself because my two kids are getting older. So you try to take every moment for what it is. Football is great, but to see him still be there and be a cornerstone and a backbone of his family, that’s always going to be a fond memory for me. I think that he would probably say the same, for sure.”
Phillips knows Benevides well.
“I’ve been doing this for 25 years, it’s one of the joys of my life, to be honest with you, watching these guys just trying to play and being knuckleheads when they’re young and as they then mature to having long-term relationships to having children. You’re watching them grow and mature. You want what’s best for these guys. It’s a huge pleasure to watch that for sure,” said Benevides.
Photo Credit: Brian Johnson, BC Lions.
The two have gone from player and coach to co-coaches. Phillips is Benevides right-hand man as the team’s defensive back coach and passing game coordinator, something Benevides is very excited about, as he knows Phillips has a bright future as a coach.
“I think it’s great because he’ll see it through the eyes of playing that position. And I go through the experience of calling 12,000 plays, you know what I mean? So I think it’s a great fit,” said Benevides.
“At his core, he’s a kind, good person and a person of character. And those people survive. Those people learn to grow. And if they are not a person of character, they will not last in pro football. I’ve always seen him as a person of high character.”
Benevides watched as Phillips went from a young free agent camp signing to a CFL superstar, leader and Father. Now the two defensive coaches have the opportunity to mould the next generation of BC Lions together on and off the field.
I had an incredible opportunity to guest write under Howard Tsumara for his website, Varsity Letters. Here’s my favorite article I had the privilege of writing.
No. 6 GIDGALANG KUUYAS NAAY 79 No. 3 ST. JOHN’S EAGLES 72
Nicolas Hauka
LANGLEY — The No. 6-seeded Gidgalang Kuuyas Naay Breakers have arrived at the B.C. 1 A provincial championships, hosted at the Langley Events Centre ready to play, showcasing a different style under Head Coach Desi Collinson.
”We play village basketball. We’re from Haida Gwaii. We played Haida-style right at the end of the day,” Collinson said after the Breaker’s 79-72 victory over the No.3 St John’s School Eagles, which propels them to the Final Four for the first time.
“Village Basketball” is an absolute joy to watch. The Breakers’ passion, physicality, and determination are unmatched. They give everything they have in every aspect of the game, and you can tell the game of basketball means so much to this team.
This style of play may not be anything Eagles Head Coach Jonathan Kinman and his team have seen all year, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t aware of what was coming. “Their physicality, we knew, was going to be an issue because we’re small and young.” Despite being undersized, led by Viv Anderson-Francois’s thirty-one points, the Eagles fought admirably all night. They gave it everything they had for four quarters, never shying away from contact.
There was never a dull moment in a thrilling game, where momentum changed seemingly every minute. After having a dead-even first quarter in which each team ended the frame with eighteen, the second quarter began with an 11-3 Eagles run. The Breakers roared back led by guard Greg Puterill and Loay Almahmiid’s six points apiece. Puterill, just an inch under six feet, may not be the tallest player on the court, but it’s clear he’s the strongest. Outmuscling opponents for rebounds and getting tough buckets at the rim, Puterill is a nightmare to play against. With Puterill finding his game in the last half of the quarter, the Breakers took a 39-37 lead into halftime.
The third quarter belonged to Francois. Francois started playing like a young man on a mission, with the Eagles trailing narrowly to start the second half. He drove fearlessly to the bucket and used his silky mid-range shot to a quarter-high twelve points. Unfortunately for the Eagles, that was the team’s only 12 points of the frame. Led by a balanced offensive approach, the Breakers took a 40-35 lead in the final quarter.
For the most part, the Breakers don’t play pretty basketball. The exception to this rule is guard and player of the game Levi Burton. Burton dazzles with his incredible handles, leaving his opponents behind and, on multiple occasions, flat on the floor. In an exceptional 9-point fourth quarter, Burton had his team in full command in the final minutes. With the Breakers up 9 with two minutes to go, the Eagles desperately needed a bucket. Queue the Anderson—Francois show.
Francois grabbed the ball, raced down the court, and drilled a three with a defender in his face. The Eagles, then forced to intentionally foul, sent Burton to the line. Burton went one of two from the line, and the Eagles had the ball again. Trying to give everyone Deja Vu, Francois sprinted down the court and hit another three from the same spot. With the score now 77-72 with a minute left, the Eagles had a chance. On an opportunity to bring it within one score, the ball spun out of the rim into Breaker’s hands. A couple of free throws later, and the game was over.
The Breakers were ecstatic after a thrilling win, but coach Collinson knows the journey isn’t done yet. “You know, I’m going to be a little more satisfied when we get to the finals, and we can win this tournament, right?” said Collinson after being asked how much this win meant for the small community’s team.
Now that their season is over, Eagles coach Kinman is looking forward to his young team’s future: “We’re really excited, and you know we wanted to go deeper to get that experience, but I, you know this will be fuel for next year.”
Now in their first final-four appearance ever, the Breakers will be playing for more than just each other as they move on in this tournament. “These guys know the colors that they’re representing, and that’s the beautiful thing because we practice culture. We live, and we breathe culture, and we know what we’re representing here at the end of the day,” remarked Coach Collinson when speaking about playing for the team’s tight-knit community.