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Almost 14 years ago as a quarterback, Kent Austin broke the hearts of Saskatchewan Roughriders fans when he demanded to be traded. He eventually landed in British Columbia.

Now, just months after becoming the first man in CFL history to win the Grey Cup as both a quarterback and a head coach of the same franchise, it appears the Roughriders' coach may be making another exit, this time to the University of Mississippi. He was at his alma mater on Tuesday seeking the school's vacant offensive co-ordinator position.

Austin is one of several candidates to join the staff of new Rebels head coach Houston Nutt.

Austin, who along with Archie Manning and his son, Eli, is one of the top few quarterbacks in Ole Miss history,

Though Austin has neither been offered the job nor accepted it, news of his interview sent shockwaves across the Prairie province, which has been basking in the glow of November's Grey Cup win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, just the third in the franchise's 97-year history.

And even though Austin signed a three-year contract when he rejoined the Roughriders before the 2007 season, the club has said it would not stand in his way of a potential move south.

"This is a unique scenario and it's been a very difficult 48 hours for Kent," said Roughriders general manager Eric Tillman, also an Ole Miss alumnus and Austin's long-time friend. "He and his family have a terrific situation where they are. They've been embraced by people and treated so well. He loves his coaches and has a special bond with his players and is so jacked up about the opportunity to create history by winning back-to-back Grey Cups in Saskatchewan.

"If this wasn't home calling, I don't think he'd have given it three seconds of thought. The people of Saskatchewan understand the importance, the tie and the connection to home."

Apparently, most do, according to reaction in Saskatchewan yesterday.

While fans vented their rage at Austin when he demanded his trade in 1994, this time the backlash has been minimal.

"I think at first fans were in an overall state of shock that this is happening," said Mitchell Blair, co-host of the Drew Remendez Sports Show, which airs nightly in Saskatchewan. "The majority of people who called the show said if this is the best for Kent, then he goes with our blessing. There are some people who remember the last time Kent left, which was a very ugly moment in 'Rider history, and say he's leaving us again. But the bottom line is this team has won three Grey Cups and Kent Austin has been directly responsible for two of them. Most people won't begrudge him if he does go."

The domino effect that may cost the Roughriders Austin's services began in Miami when Miami Dolphins vice-president of football operations Bill Parcells hired Rebels offensive co-ordinator David Lee away from Ole Miss to become the Dolphins' new quarterbacks coach.

Lee, who'd worked with Parcells in Dallas from 2003 to 2006, had been Austin's position coach when he was the quarterback at Ole Miss in the early 1980s and the two have remained the best of friends.

And so when Tillman learned that Lee was moving on to the NFL, he got a cold shiver, even by the standards of Saskatchewan in January.

"When I saw that David Lee was going to Miami, my heart skipped a beat because David is probably Kent's closest friend in the world and I knew he would recommend Kent [as his replacement]," Tillman said. "I was certain that the call might come, and on Sunday night it did."

Tillman said he never considered not granting Austin permission to go for an interview.

"That's not our organization's philosophy," Tillman said. "If this was a competitive situation [involving another CFL club], the answer would be absolutely no. But we've always said that if the time frame is fair to the club, we would not block people under contract from going south, particularly if it's an opportunity to go home."

In other CFL news, the B.C. Lions are ready to discuss the possibility of quarterback Dave Dickenson's return, even though he was released last November for health and financial reasons. Dickenson has said he wants to give the Lions the first opportunity to sign him.

"Dave wants to consider his options for playing in 2008," said Ken Staninger, Dickenson's agent. "B.C. is one of those options. I have field calls from teams, but we have no offers on the table."

Dickenson has been bothered by concussions the past two seasons and has been mentioned in Calgary, where he could serve as both a backup quarterback and mentor to Henry Burris. The Montreal Alouettes may also be in the market for a veteran passer because Anthony Calvillo remains committed to his wife, who is stricken with cancer.

The Lions are scheduled to have discussions with quarterback Jarious Jackson, who led them into the playoffs last season and is due to become a fee agent next month. B.C.'s third quarterback, Buck Pierce, is under contract for the coming season and will meet with the media today to talk about his recovery from a shoulder injury.

The Toronto Argonauts extended the contracts of four Canadian players yesterday — running back Bryan Crawford, linebacker Ray Fontaine and receivers Andre Talbot and Chad Rempel.

With a report from Allan Maki