Marc Mueller and his football journey
How often do you get to say that football is your family business? For Marc Mueller, that is 100 per cent the case.
The history of Marc Mueller
Mueller is the current offensive coordinator for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but before that, he was just another kid with a love for the game.
“Football’s been part of my life as long as I can remember. It’s been kind of everything that brought the family together. My grandpa coached, my uncles coached, my dad coached me,” Mueller said.
Mueller’s father, Larry Mueller, was a linebacker coach for the University of Regina (U of R) Rams and played five seasons with the team. He was also the assistant general manager for the Roughriders from 1989-92.
Mueller’s grandfather is Ron Lancaster, who was a prominent player in Canadian Football League (CFL) history. Lancaster won four Grey Cups throughout his playing and coaching career, including Saskatchewan’s first Grey Cup in 1966.
Football is in Mueller’s blood.
“Not many people get to go to work and see a statue with their grandpa or a picture with their dad in it, right?” Mueller reflected.
Mueller grew up in Regina. He played with Regina Minor Football and at Sheldon-Williams Collegiate in high school, eventually ending up as quarterback for the Rams from 2007-12. During his time with the Rams, he totaled 6,522 passing yards and 34 touchdowns in 39 games.
Football’s been part of my life as long as I can remember. It’s been kind of everything that brought the family together. My grandpa coached, my uncles coached, my dad coached me. –Marc Mueller
Following his convocation, Mueller transitioned from playing to coaching the Rams in 2013. He coached the likes of Grey Cup champions Mitchell Picton, Tevaughn Campbell, and current Rams head coach Mark McConkey.
In 2014, Mueller made the move to the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League. During his time with the Stamps, Mueller held many positions: defensive assistant, running backs coach, and quarterbacks coach.
Mueller won two Grey Cups in his tenure in Calgary: 2014 and 2018.
Homecoming
In 2023, Corey Mace was named the new head coach for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Mace was part of the 2014 Grey Cup-winning team while Mueller was a defensive assistant.
Following his retirement as a player, Mace coached for the Stamps from 2016-21.
The two men won their second Grey Cup together: the 2018 championship year for the Stamps. When Mace became Roughriders head coach, he asked Mueller to come on as the offensive coordinator and he accepted. Mueller was coming home!
The Riders were in rough shape when Mace and Mueller took over offensive duties. The team had not advanced past the Western Final since 2013 and had not seen a championship since that same year.
In their first season under Mace and Mueller, the Riders finished 9-8-1 with a loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Western Final. In 2025, the Riders finished 12-6 and took home the fifth Grey Cup in franchise history.
Each of Mueller’s Grey Cups had a different feeling. In 2014, he was a 25-year-old rookie coach just trying to understand life.
“It was my first year in the league. It was so fast. Didn’t really know what was going on,” Mueller commented.
His second Grey Cup was special because he was married and surrounded by family. Then, he came home and won a Grey Cup where he grew up, with his wife, kids and family.
“For the seven months of the year, I’m not around very much so it takes, you know, a community of people to help with my family, and I have two kids now and a wife, and my in-laws are from Regina, so [are] my parents. So, to win it with them and together was really special,” said Mueller.
Putting in the work
Mueller did not just win the three Grey Cups overnight; he has worked long and hard to get where he is today. He also knows that it is a full team effort to succeed in the game of football.
“It was community and family and giving back, that’s what makes us better as either a community or a team. Not a lot of people have a common goal every day. They go to work, they go home. Whereas now, here with the Riders, and when I was with the Rams, you know, to all be fighting towards the same thing and being together is a pretty powerful thing.”
The Rams also helped prepare Mueller for the working world.
Mueller said, “You have to have a plan to have success. So if you go into something without a plan, you’re not going to have success. [The Rams] helped us have a plan off the field and on the field, and to get ready for life and to get ready for football and coaching, you know, I thought that structure prepared me.”
For the seven months of the year, I’m not around very much so it takes, you know, a community of people to help with my family, and I have two kids now and a wife, and my in-laws are from Regina, so [are] my parents. So, to win it with them and together was really special. -Marc Mueller
Present tense
Although Mueller is no longer with the Rams, he still follows the season very closely. He has good things to say about head coach Mark McConkey, believing that he is pushing the program to a new place.
“I think they have good players. I think they’re well coached. I see the sense of community and family that I was fortunate enough to play with, and I think Mark does a great job. I think the guys understand that they’re playing for each other, and, you know, they are good players and I’m excited to see how they do this year,” said Mueller.
When Mueller is away from the field, he is a dad to his two young kids, both of whom have been enrolled in recreational youth football in Regina.
“I think sports are good for them. I mean, all my friends are from people that I played sports with. [It’s] important to be a part of a group and be a part of a team. So I hope, hopefully, my kids love sports, and I try to put football on and brainwash them early, just like I was,” Mueller added.
Mueller and the Roughriders are sitting second in the West Division of the CFL with eight wins and six losses. The remaining four games will be some of the toughest of the season, with two games against the league-leading Montreal Alouettes and a game against the West Division-leading Edmonton Elks.
