Don Matthews

For the Australian rules footballer, see Don Matthews (footballer).
Don Matthews
Sport(s) Gridiron football
Biographical details
Born (1939-06-22) June 22, 1939
Amesbury, Massachusetts
Playing career
1960–1963 Idaho
Position(s) Linebacker
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1964 Idaho (GA)
1965 Ely HS (NV) (assistant)
1966–1968 Ely HS (NV)
1969–1970 Ferris HS (WA)
1971–1973 Idaho (OC/OL)
1974–1976 Sunset HS
1977 Edmonton Eskimos (LB)
1978–1982 Edmonton Eskimos (DC)
1983–1987 BC Lions
1989 Edmonton Eskimos (DC)
1990 Toronto Argonauts
1991 Orlando Thunder
1991–1993 Sask. Roughriders
1994–1995 Baltimore Stallions
1996–1998 Toronto Argonauts
1999–2000 Edmonton Eskimos
2002–2006 Montreal Alouettes
2008 Toronto Argonauts
Head coaching record
Overall 231–132–1 (CFL)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Grey Cups (5): 73rd, 83rd, 84th, 85th, 90th
Awards
Records
2nd highest win total by CFL coach

Don Matthews, a.k.a. "The Don", (born June 22, 1939) is a former head coach of several teams in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He won 231 games in the CFL, the second highest win total by a head coach in the league's history. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in September 2011.

College

From a large family of limited means and education, Matthews quit high school in Amesbury after his senior season of football in 1956 and served three years in the U.S. Marine Corps.[1] He returned home and earned his high school diploma and then on the advice of a teacher, ventured west in 1960 as a 21-year-old freshman to Moscow, Idaho. He walked-on at Idaho as a linebacker on the freshman team;[2] he was awarded a scholarship by varsity head coach Skip Stahley after his first semester.[3] He earned three letters and was a team captain in his senior season of 1963, when the Vandals, in their second year under Dee Andros, achieved their first winning season in a quarter century.[4] Matthews graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in education in 1964.[1][5][6]

Early career

Matthews was a graduate assistant for the Vandals in Moscow for the 1964 season under Andros and freshman coach Bud Riley.[7] Matthews then coached high school football in Ely, Nevada for four years and won a state title. He relocated to eastern Washington at Spokane in 1969 as head coach at Ferris, where he led the Saxons to the city title in his second and final year.[8]

Matthews became a collegiate assistant coach back at his alma mater in 1971 as offensive line coach (later as offensive coordinator), under second-year head coach Don Robbins.[5] After an 0-2 start, the Vandals finished at 8-3, which included an eight-game winning streak, and won the Big Sky title. At the time it was the best record in school history, and three seniors were selected in the 1972 NFL draft. Two years later, Robbins was fired following the 1973 season and Matthews moved to the Portland area. He took over a winless program at Sunset High School in Beaverton and won consecutive state championships in 1975 and 1976, going undefeated in his third and final year.[1] He left Sunset after the 1976 season to become a CFL assistant coach in Edmonton, Alberta.

Pro coaching career

Matthews was formerly head coach of the CFL's BC Lions, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Baltimore Stallions, Toronto Argonauts, Edmonton Eskimos, and Montreal Alouettes. He was also head coach of the Montreal Machine of the World League of American Football in 1991.

In October 2006, Matthews stepped down as head coach of the Alouettes expressing undisclosed health issues that were "affecting his ability to perform".[9]

In May 2008, Matthews was announced as an advisor to the Jeff Hunt-led group's conditional Ottawa franchise.[10]

Don Matthews returned to Toronto on September 9, 2008 as the interim coach for the Argonauts, after they started the season with a 4–6 record.[11] In that press conference, Matthews revealed that the major health reason that caused him to step down as head coach of the Alouettes was an anxiety disorder. He also went further to say that he had been prescribed to some medication and the anxiety attacks are now under control.[12][13]

Matthews' mother, Ida, was a francophone from Tracadie, New Brunswick, while his father, Fred, was from Prince Edward Island. Matthews has three sons and six grandchildren. In 2004, Matthews became a Canadian citizen.[14]

On October 31, 2008, he resigned from the Argonauts a day after the conclusion of the Argonauts 2008 regular season, which saw the Argos fail to win a game in the eight games under his leadership and finishing out of the playoffs for the first time since the 2001 CFL season.[15]

Matthews resides in Oregon[1] and was selected for induction in the Builder category into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame on February 10, 2011.[16]

On November 5, 2012, Matthews announced he was battling cancer and therefore would not be able to participate in any of the festivities for the 100th Grey Cup in Toronto.[17]

The Montreal Alouettes announced on July 30, 2014 that Matthews had joined the team in a coaching consultant role for the second consecutive year.

Coaching records

Don Matthews holds several coaching records:

He also has an additional five Grey Cup titles as defensive co-ordinator of the Edmonton Eskimos.

CFL head coaching record

Team Year Regular Season Post Season
WonLostTiesWin %Finish Won Lost Result
BC1983 1150.6881st in West Division 1 1 Lost in Grey Cup
BC1984 1231.8001st in West Division 0 1 Lost in Division Finals
BC1985 1330.8131st in West Division 2 0 Won Grey Cup
BC1986 1260.6672nd in West Division 1 1 Lost in Division Finals
BC1987 860.5731st in West Division – – (fired)
TOR1990 1080.5562nd in East Division 1 1 Lost in Division Finals
SSK1991 560.4554th in West Division – – Missed Playoffs
SSK1992 990.5003rd in West Division 0 1 Lost in Division Semi-Finals
SSK1993 1170.6113rd in West Division 0 1 Lost in Division Semi-Finals
BAL1994 1260.6672nd in East Division 2 1 Lost in Grey Cup
BAL1995 1530.8331st in East Division 3 0 Won Grey Cup
TOR1996 1530.8331st in East Division 2 0 Won Grey Cup
TOR1997 1530.8331st in East Division 2 0 Won Grey Cup
TOR1998 990.5003rd in East Division 0 1 Lost in Division Semi-Finals
EDM1999 6120.3333rd in East Division 0 1 Lost in Division Semi-Finals
EDM2000 1080.5562nd in East Division 0 1 Lost in Division Semi-Finals
MTL2002 1350.7221st in East Division 2 0 Won Grey Cup
MTL2003 1350.7221st in East Division 1 1 Lost in Grey Cup
MTL2004 1440.7781st in East Division 0 1 Lost in Division Finals
MTL2005 1080.5562nd in East Division 2 1 Lost in Grey Cup
MTL2006 860.5711st in East Division – – (stepped down)
TOR2008 080.0003rd in East Division – – missed playoffs
Team Totals
BC1983–1987 56231.7004 West Division
Championships		43 1 Grey Cup
TOR1990, 1996–
1998, 2008		 49310.6132 East Division
Championships		52 2 Grey Cups
SSK1991–1993 25220.5320 West Division
Championships		02 0 Grey Cups
BAL1994–1995 2790.7501 East Division
Championship		51 1 Grey Cup
EDM1999–2000 16200.4440 West Division
Championships		02 0 Grey Cups
MTL2002–2006 58280.6744 East Division
Championships		52 1 Grey Cup
Total 2311331.63311 Division
Championships		1913 5 Grey Cups

Personal

Matthews lives in Beaverton, Oregon with his wife Stephanie and son Blaze.[18]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Portland Tribune - A new game plan for famed coach - 2010-02-11
  2. ↑ "Vandal babe standouts". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1961. p. 154.
  3. ↑ Blanchette, John (February 9, 1983). "Things are not so shaky for Don Matthews anymore". Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington). p. C1.
  4. ↑ "Football". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1964. p. 255.
  5. 1 2 Go Vandals.com - lifetime achievement - Don Matthews - accessed 2011-10-22
  6. ↑ Lawton, James (January 15, 1983). "Matthews has travelled a long, tough highway". Vancouver Sun (British Columbia). p. E1.
  7. ↑ "Football". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1965. p. 252.
  8. ↑ "Ferris coach takes post as aide with Vandals". Spokane Daily Chronicle (Washington). January 29, 1971. p. 15.
  9. ↑ "Als coach Matthews resigns". CBC Sports. 2006-10-04. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
  10. ↑ Brennan, Don (2008-09-12). "Hunt: Matthews inspired by Kilrea". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved September 12, 2008.
  11. ↑ "Argos fire Stubler, bring back Matthews". CBC Sports. 2008-09-09. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
  12. ↑ http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/432213
  13. ↑ O’Connor, Joe (2008-10-29). "Argos' Matthews winning battle with anxiety". National Post (Canada). Retrieved 2008-10-31.
  14. ↑ "Alouettes hammer Renegades at the Big O". CBC News. 2004-10-23.
  15. ↑ "Matthews quits as Argos coach". CBC Sports. 2008-10-31. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
  16. ↑ "Canadian Football Hall of Fame announces Class of 2011," Canadian Football Hall of Fame & Museum, Thursday, February 10, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Don Matthews battling cancer". Calgary Sun. Retrieved 2012-11-06.
  18. ↑ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/football/legendary-coach-don-matthews-making-a-comeback/article13329263/

External links

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