{"id":60801,"date":"2025-08-11T06:16:23","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T06:16:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/60801\/"},"modified":"2025-08-11T06:16:23","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T06:16:23","slug":"in-the-cards-calgary-stampeders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/60801\/","title":{"rendered":"‘In The Cards’ – Calgary Stampeders"},"content":{"rendered":"

The family business.<\/p>\n

Dakota Prukop<\/a> always knew he\u2019d pick up a marker and a whiteboard once he decided to hang up the cleats.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s in his blood, after all.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy grandfather (Al) coached for 40 years after his playing career,\u201d said Prukop. \u201cThen my dad (Tim) played, and he coached, so it was something for me that was in the cards.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Stampeders announced the seven-year CFL veteran as the team\u2019s quarterbacks coach for the 2025 season, after Beau Baldwin decided to step away due to personal health reasons.<\/p>\n

RELATED
\u00bb BUY SEASON TICKETS<\/a>
\u00bb DETAILS: 2025 Stampeders Schedule<\/a>
\u00bb READ: Prukop Named Stamps\u2019 QB Coach<\/a>
\u00bb READ: Off-Season Notebook \u2013 03.03.25<\/a>
\u00bb WATCH: Dickenson \u2013 12.02.25<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Although it\u2019s the 31-year-old\u2019s first coaching opportunity, it\u2019s not his first rodeo working in Calgary. He had a brief stint with the Red and White five years ago, having signed with the club in 2020 and participating in training camp in 2021 before his subsequent release.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a relationship with Dave (Dickenson)<\/a> and some of the other coaches on staff,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I was in Calgary through the Covid season and then the following training camp, I got to know them, and I stayed in touch with Dave through the years after the fact. I think that\u2019s what led to where we are today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the short period of playing time, the prolonged season helped Prukop immerse himself in the offence and develop strong bonds with both Dickenson and offensive coordinator Pat DelMonaco<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I was only playing there for training camp of \u201921, I got to be in the offence learning it for almost two years,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt was definitely an interesting situation there with the amount of time I got to spend meeting with Dave and other coaches, Marc Mueller at the time, and (quarterback) Bo Levi Mitchell as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cOffences change, but the core principles of this offence are still the same. They haven\u2019t had any turnover from the top in terms of the offence, Dave and Pat are still there, and some of the offence is just as I remember it. I\u2019m really excited to be able to dig into it more now, to coach, and to specifically learn from Pat. It\u2019s a great opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The new role is also a reunion of sorts between Prukop and his former teammate now turned mentee in Vernon Adams Jr.<\/a> The pair spent a brief amount of time together with the BC Lions last summer, but their history extends beyond the northern border.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore even playing with V.A. in BC, we played against each other for four years in college in the Big Sky Conference,\u201d said Prukop, who starred at Montana State when Adams was at Eastern Washington. \u201cWe also knew each other from Oregon (the school to which Adams and Prukop attended for their final seasons, with Prukop following Adams) so we\u2019ve known each other for a long time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been cheering him on, we\u2019ve both been up here in the CFL for many years and I think the dynamic is great in terms of being able to help him in any way I can. There\u2019s a lot that goes into preparing for a game as a quarterback and I\u2019m looking forward to this opportunity to help make sure that Vernon is prepared as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking of former teammates and the Big Sky Conference, Prukop has strong ties with another player who has suited up for the Red and White. His fellow Montana State Bobcat, Alex Singleton.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember when I went to the Stamps in 2020, Alex was one of the first people to be excited and congratulatory of that, so it\u2019s cool being back here,\u201d Prukop explained. \u201cI\u2019ve talked with Alex, and he loves the city of Calgary, the Stampeders and their fans, so we got a chance to catch up and talk, and he\u2019s doing great.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s rehabbing from an injury and is on track for a great recovery, and he just had his first child. He\u2019s doing awesome and I\u2019m sure whenever the time is right, he\u2019ll be able to get back up and visit Calgary.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The family business. Dakota Prukop always knew he\u2019d pick up a marker and a whiteboard once he decided…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":60802,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":["post-60801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60801\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}