Raiders promote Hocking to head coach
NANAIMO — The VI Raiders will have a new head coach for the 2017 season, but he’s anything but a newcomer to the program.
Doug Hocking will take over as Raiders head coach after Jerome Erdman accepted a position on the coaching staff at Bishop’s University. Hocking has been a part of the Raiders’ coaching staff on and off since 2006.
“It’s still sinking in,” Hocking tells NanaimoNewsNOW. “It’s a very exciting time for myself, this program…none of this is possible without the support of my family, my wife and kids.”
Hocking joined the Raiders as defensive coordinator in 2006 and promptly helped guide the British Columbia Football Conference team to a national championship, on the back of what became known as the Black Death Defense. In 2007, he served as interim head coach after the team fired Matt Blokker mid-season. After six consecutive seasons in Nanaimo, Hocking went on to have coaching stints with UBC, Langley and Westshore.