Photo credit: Brian Johnson, BC Lions.
(Kamloops)- 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.