The Winnipeg Blue Bombers' longest-serving assistant coach is saying goodbye after seven years with the club.
The Sun has learned that Bombers receivers coach Bob Dyce, a Winnipeg native, has accepted a coaching position with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. It is not known what position he will be filling with the Green and White.
Dyce has been with the Bombers since 2003, when he joined Dave Ritchie's staff as the running backs and special teams coach. He became the receivers coach in 2004 and guided nine 1,000-yard pass catchers during his tenure.
His most important role with the club over the past few years, however, might have been as Canadian player personnel director. In 2008, for instance, five of Winnipeg's six draft picks saw active roster duty.
Dyce's departure means head coach Paul LaPolice now has four assistant spots to fill. He plans to hire an offensive line coach, linebackers coach, special teams co-ordinator and another in an offensive role now that Dyce is gone.
Meanwhile, on the free agent front, Aaron Hargreaves is remaining in Blue and Gold and it looks like Ryan Donnelly might stay that way, too.
Hargreaves, a wide receiver, said Saturday he has re-signed with the Bombers, agreeing to a one-year-plus-an-option contract for 2010 and 2011.
Donnelly, meanwhile, is getting married on Sunday, but the offensive lineman told the Sun on Saturday -- on the way to his rehearsal dinner -- that he finally heard from the Bombers brass recently after a long off-season of wondering, and liked what they had to say.
"We're going to chat about the numbers and hopefully have something worked out by Tuesday," said Donnelly, who started nine games at right guard in 2009. "That's the plan."
CFL free agency begins on Monday night, though, which means Donnelly, who is Winnipeg's only remaining free agent, will likely get an opportunity to see what's out there.
"I expect to get a couple calls -- maybe. It's always in your best interest to see what you're worth," the 31-year-old said. "But the way Winnipeg worded their offer to me, they know my situation, they know how I can play."
Hargreaves, 24, said Thursday he was going to test the market to see what he was worth, but he admitted Saturday that was just his way of not showing all his cards.
"I didn't really want to say anything either way until it was done," he said. "So now it's done, and I'm happy to be coming back."
Hargreaves, who was Winnipeg's second-round draft pick out of Simon Fraser University in 2008, has nine catches for 124 yards in his career.
kirk.penton@sunmedia.ca
