Corey Mace (born December 22, 1985) is a former

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 ( ...

defensive tackle who is currently the

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...

for the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

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 ...

(CFL). He was signed by the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2007. He played college football at

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the sou ...

College career

Mace played college football at

Palomar College Palomar College is a public community college in San Diego County, California. The main campus is in San Marcos and three centers and four education sites are located elsewhere throughout north San Diego County. The largest of these by student ...

before transferring to the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyomin ...

Professional career

2007 CFL Draft

Mace was drafted by the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play their h ...

in the second round of the

2007 CFL Draft The 2007 CFL Draft took place on Wednesday, May 2, 2007. 47 players were chosen from among 911 eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA. Of the 47 draft selections, 31 player ...

. Mace signed with the NFL's

just before draft day.

Buffalo Bills

Mace signed with the

as an

in 2007. He spent two seasons with the team, appearing in three games in 2008 and recording one tackle. He was not tendered a contract offer as an

exclusive-rights free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in the 2009 offseason.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

The

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

acquired Mace's CFL rights (from the Blue Bombers) along with a

2009 CFL Draft The 2009 CFL Draft took place on Saturday, May 2, 2009 at 11:00 AM ET on TSN. 48 players were chosen from among 774 eligible players from Canadian universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA. Of the 48 draft ...

first round pick in exchange for

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pl ...

Zeke Moreno Ezekiel Aaron Moreno (born October 8, 1978) is a former professional American football linebacker. Early years Moreno, who is of Mexican descent, attended Castle Park High School in Chula Vista and was a letterman in football and baseball. In ...

in the

2008 CFL season The 2008 CFL season was the 55th season of modern-day Canadian football, the 51st season for the Canadian Football League. It was also the first CFL season in which all of the league's regular season and post-season games, including the Grey Cup ...

. Mace and the Tiger-Cats got into a contract dispute following the 2009 season. Mace wanted to receive a contract of one-year plus an option year that would enable him to explore NFL options in 2010 with a salary comparable to that of an NFL practice roster player of $95,000. The Tiger-Cats were said to be offering closer to the $65,000 normally offered to second-round draft choices.

Toronto Argonauts

Mace was acquired by the

, along with a 2010 third-round pick and a conditional pick in 2011 for disgruntled receiver

Arland Bruce III Arland Richard Bruce III (born November 23, 1977) is a former Canadian football wide receiver. He is a two-time Grey Cup champion, having won in 2004 with the Toronto Argonauts and in 2011 with the Lions. He has played 10 seasons in the CFL with ...

Buffalo Bills (II)

Mace was re-signed by the

on July 31, 2009. He was waived on September 5 was re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was signed off the practice squad to the active roster on November 28. He appeared in 2 games and recorded one tackle and one interception, which was returned for 0 yards. On December 7, he was waived by the Bills and added to the practice squad on December 10.

Calgary Stampeders

Mace's CFL rights were traded by the

on August 22, 2010, in exchange for non-import linebacker

Tristan Black Tristan Black (born April 8, 1984) is a former professional Canadian football linebacker. He was drafted by the Calgary Stampeders in the second round of the 2009 CFL Draft. He played college football for the Wayne State Warriors. He attended Cen ...

. After the Argonauts traded Mace's rights to the Stampeders, he signed a contract on Aug 29, 2010 to join the Stampeders for the remainder of the

2010 CFL season The 2010 CFL season is the 57th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it is the 53rd Canadian Football League season. Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton hosted the 98th Grey Cup on November 28 when the Montreal Alouettes became the ...

. Despite being drafted by the Blue Bombers having playing experience with the Bills, Mace did not receive any CFL playing time until the

. Mace appeared in eight games for the Stamps during the 2010 season. He recovered a fumble and returned it 60 yards to the endzone. In Week 1 of the

2011 CFL season The 2011 CFL season was the 58th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 54th season of the Canadian Football League. The complete schedule was released on February 18 and featured the defending Grey Cup champion Montreal ...

, Mace suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon which caused him to miss the remainder of the season. Mace played a more significant role in the

2012 CFL season The 2012 CFL season was the 59th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 55th season for the Canadian Football League. The pre-season began on June 13, 2012, and the regular season started on June 29, 2012. Rogers Centre i ...

recording 25 tackles and one sack. Mace suffered a torn shoulder labrum in Week 1 of the

2013 CFL season The 2013 CFL season was the 60th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 56th season of the Canadian Football League. The pre-season began on June 12, 2013 and the regular season began on June 27, 2013. Regina, Saskatchewa ...

which caused him to undergo season-ending surgery. Mace only played in eight of the 18 regular season game during the

2014 CFL season Fourteen or 14 may refer to: * 14 (number), the natural number following 13 and preceding 15 * one of the years 14 BC, AD 14, 1914, 2014 Music * 14th (band), a British electronic music duo * ''14'' (David Garrett album), 2013 *''14'', an unre ...

. He played in both of the Stamps playoff games, and won the

102nd Grey Cup The 102nd Grey Cup was a Canadian football game played November 30, 2014, between the West Division champion Calgary Stampeders and East Division champion Hamilton Tiger-Cats, to determine the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship for the ...

. Following the 2014 season, Mace and the Stampeders agreed to terms of a new contract, preventing him from becoming a

free-agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. However, he was injured all year and did not play in a game in 2015. After the 2015 season, where he was kept to the sidelines due to injury, Mace retired from playing professional football.

Coaching career

Calgary Stampeders

On December 10, 2015, following his retirement, he was announced as 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 ...

' defensive line coach, replacing his former teammate and coach

Devone Claybrooks Natravis DeVone Claybrooks (born September 15, 1977) is the former head coach of the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was an American football defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for seven different teams ...

who stepped into the role of Stampeders

. He won his first

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...

as a coach when the Stampeders won the

106th Grey Cup The 106th Grey Cup (branded as the 106th Grey Cup presented by Shaw for sponsorship reasons) was the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship game for the 2018 season. It was played on November 25, 2018, between the Ottawa Redblacks and the C ...

over 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 ...

Toronto Argonauts

On January 6, 2022, it was announced that Mace had joined the

as the team's

. On November 29, 2022, it was reported by TSN insider

Farhan Lalji Farhan Lalji is a Vancouver-based sports reporter and the Vancouver Bureau Reporter for TSN's SportsCentre. He previously anchored '' SportsDesk'' between 1997 and 2000. Career Lalji joined TSN in 1997 as an anchor of TSN's flagship sports ...

that Mace was one of three finalists for the vacant

head coaching job.

References

External links

Buffalo Bills bio

Calgary Stampeders bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mace, Corey 1985 births Living people People from Port Moody Sportspeople from British Columbia Black Canadian players of American football American football defensive tackles American football defensive ends Wyoming Cowboys football players Buffalo Bills players Calgary Stampeders players Palomar Comets football players Calgary Stampeders coaches Toronto Argonauts coaches