Mike Benevides (born May 3, 1968) is a professional

Canadian football Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area ( ...

coach. He most recently served as the defensive coordinator for the

Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) (French: Le Rouge et Noir d'Ottawa) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Starting ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL). Benevides was the

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

for the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first seas ...

from 2012 though 2014, and more recently the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach for the Edmonton Eskimos. He played college football at the defensive tackle position for the Bakersfield College Renegades before transferring to

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

to play for the

Yeomen Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of servants in an English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in mid-14th-century England. The 14th century also witn ...

Professional career

Calgary Stampeders

Benevides began his coaching career with the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-o ...

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

as a defensive assistant. He spent the following two seasons as the Stampeders' special teams and linebackers coach.

BC Lions

Benevides then became the special teams and linebackers coach for the

in 2003. He was eventually promoted to defensive coordinator and eventually head coach in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

. Benevides spent three seasons with the Lions as the team's head coach, winning 33 games and losing 21. Under his leadership the Lions made the playoffs each season, but lost every time. Following the 2014 season he was released by the Lions on November 20, 2014.

Edmonton Eskimos

On January 14, 2016, the Edmonton Eskimos named Benevides their assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. On December 7, 2018, the Eskimos released Mike Benevides from his duties.

Ottawa Redblacks

After spending a year working for TSN, Benevides was announced as the defensive coordinator for the

on December 17, 2019. He served in that capacity for two seasons, but was not retained following a coaching change for the 2023 season.

CFL coaching record

References

External links

Career Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benevides, Mike 1968 births Living people BC Lions coaches Calgary Stampeders coaches Canadian people of Portuguese descent Edmonton Elks coaches Sportspeople from Toronto Ottawa Redblacks coaches York University alumni York Lions football players