Marcel Bellefeuille is the head coach for the University of Ottawa's football team, the Ottawa Gee-Gees of U Sports. He originally began his coaching career with Ottawa in 1995 and won the program's second Vanier Cup championship in 2000. He then spent 16 years coaching in the Canadian Football League, including a stint as the head coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from to. Bellefeuille returned as head coach of the Gee-Gees in 2020.
Coaching career
Ottawa Gee-Gees
Bellefeuille was hired by the Ottawa Gee-Gees as their assistant head-coach in 1995. He spent the next three seasons at the same position before being promoted to head coach in 1998. In 1999, he was named OQIFCCoach of the Year and then, in 2000, he led the Gee-Gees to a Vanier Cup victory.
After the win in the Vanier Cup, Bellefeuille was hired by the Saskatchewan Roughriders as an assistant. In 2003, he was named the offensive coordinator. In three seasons, he helped the Roughriders running backs total 7,000 rushing yards.
After leaving Saskatchewan, Bellefeuille joined the Montreal Alouettes in 2006 as their running backs and wide receivers coach. In 2007, he was promoted to Offensive Coordinator and running backs coach. In his 1st season in Montreal, he helped Robert Edwards lead the CFL in touchdowns with 17. Bellefeuille also helped the Alouettes be the only team with two 1,000 yard receivers in Kerry Watkins and Ben Cahoon.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
In 2008, Bellefeuille was hired by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to be their offensive coordinator and Quarterbacks coach. In September 2008, following Charlie Taaffe's firing, he was named the interim head coach. On October 27, he was officially named Taaffe's replacement. His record as the Ti-Cats interim coach was 1-7-0. On January 15, 2009, Bellefeuille completed his staff shake-up by hiring Greg Marshall as his defensive coordinator and Mike Gibson as his offensive coordinator. Before the Tiger-Cats final 2009 preseason game against the Toronto Argonauts, Bellefeuille said that, "The only thing we know for certain as a coaching staff and as an organization is that Nick Setta will be our kicker." In three full seasons as the head coach of the Ti-Cats, Bellefeuille posted a 26-28 record, making the playoffs every season and going to the East Final in 2011. While the team had made an East Final appearance, they had a losing record in 2011 and he was relieved of his duties after season's end.
Prior to the 2012 UFL season, Bellefeuille was announced as offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach for the United Football League's Omaha Nighthawks. Like Bellefeuille, Omaha head coach Bart Andrus was also a former CFL head coach, having coached the Toronto Argonauts in 2009.
On August 12, 2013, Bellefeuille signed on with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL as a member of the team's offensive coaching staff. Six days later, he was promoted to offensive coordinator following the dismissal of Gary Crowton and remained with the team through to the 2015 season.
Bellefeuille was hired as a scout for the Edmonton Eskimos in 2019.
Montreal Alouettes
On January 9, 2020, it was announced that Bellefeuille had re-joined the Montreal Alouettes as the team's offensive line coach. However, following the resignation of Jamie Barresi at the University of Ottawa, there was speculation that Bellefueille could return as the program's head coach there.
Ottawa Gee-Gees (II)
On May 21, 2020, Bellefeuille was officially announced as the head coach of the Ottawa Gee-Gees.
CFL coaching record
Personal
Bellefeuille was born in Ottawa, attended Ridgemont High School, and played both running back and defensive back with the Ottawa Gee-Gees. He lives with his wife Julie and their four children.
