Remembering a legend
Legendary CFL boss Don Matthews dead at age 77
Don Matthews won 231 CFL games and 10 Grey Cups.
They called him “The Don,” and with good reason.
A larger-than-life character with a sharp wit who thrived in the spotlight, Don Matthews took wicked pleasure in keeping people around him on edge with his abrasive, no-nonsense style.
The Hall of Famer, who died Wednesday at the age of 77, was one of the most prolific coaches in CFL history with 231 wins and 10 Grey Cup titles on his resume, including five won as a head coach.
But he was also a controversial figure who had a high-risk, high-reward philosophy.
Players loved suiting up for him because of his reputation for creating a winning atmosphere and protecting his athletes. During the regular season, Matthews’ teams rarely hit during practice and he routinely allowed his players to participate in creating the weekly game plan.
Yet he maintained his distance. While known for being a “player’s coach,” he could also be ruthless when it came to
making tough personnel decisions and wasn’t afraid to bench a veteran or cut him outright if
he wasn’t producing.
“It’s that balance and to do that you must be brilliant,” said running back/slotback Mike (Pinball) Clemons, who won two Grey Cups during three seasons playing for Matthews in Toronto. “Some people try to be a player’s coach but they let it go too far and the players run the roost.
“He was a player’s coach but he was also the boss and everybody knew that.” Matthews was also brutally honest, a trait reporters covering his teams knew well as he would call them out publicly for asking what he deemed to be an inappropriate question.
But even the press corps respected him, voting Matthews the CFL’s coach of the year five times.
The Argonauts said Matthews died Wednesday morning of pneumonia in Beaverton, Ore. He had announced in 2012 he was battling cancer.
In a statement, the CFL called Matthews “one of a kind.” Charismatic and brash with a sandpaper personality, Matthews was also a CFL winner from the beginning.
A former Marine from Amesbury, Mass., who eventually became a Canadian citizen, Matthews began his CFL coaching career as an assistant with the Edmonton Eskimos in 1977 before being promoted to defensive co-ordinator the following season. He helped the club win five straight Grey Cup titles from 1978 to ‘82 before being named the B.C. Lions head coach in 1983. Matthews spent 22 seasons as a CFL head coach with B.C., Baltimore, Saskatchewan, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal, reaching the Grey Cup nine times and winning a record five championships.
He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
“He was, quite frankly, the best leader I’ve ever been around,” Clemons said. “He taught me so much and the majority of those lessons you didn’t realize were lessons until after the experience when you realized you walked away with more than you gave, more than you were promised and much more than you were entitled to. “He was magical in his approach, he was infectious. But uniquely, he had a way of bringing out the best in people, he put you in the best position to be successful.” Matthews is survied by his wife, Stephanie, and four sons.