HAMILTON -- The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are making changes after winning just two of their first 10 games this season.
The CFL team fired head coach Charlie Taaffe on Monday, with offensive co-ordinator Marcel Bellefeuille to take over on an interim basis.
General manager Bob O'Billovich made the announcement at an afternoon news conference.
"I've never been a big fan of making coaching changes in mid-season," said O'Billovich. "But looking ahead to where we are and where we want to be, I felt this is something I had to do."
Hamilton's latest loss was a 35-12 drubbing to the B.C. Lions last Saturday. The Tiger-Cats are tied with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for last place in the CFL East Division at 2-8.
Bellefeuille is in his first season with the Ticats after serving as offensive co-ordinator, among other roles, with Saskatchewan and Montreal previously.
"Obviously this is a bittersweet day," he said. "I've always wanted to have the opportunity to be a head coach in the Canadian Football League, but it's a difficult day for me to see a good man go."
Taaffe, a two-time CFL coach of the year, won just five of 28 games since he was named head coach in December 2006.
He spent four seasons with the Montreal Alouettes from 1997 to 2000 before leaving to become the offensive co-ordinator at the University of Maryland.
"Charlie was very professional about it, he knows the business," said O'Billovich. "What he did here was not for lack of effort."
