CFL PLAYER AWARDS
Stamps’ Mitchell nets top honour
The old taskmaster, taking a break from Thanksgiving football watching, was tickled to talk about his former pupil.
Why, just that very morning, Jack Johnson and one of his neighbours in Great Falls, Mont., had been discussing Dave Dickenson.
How well the kid was doing in Calgary.
How well his first year in charge had gone.
“And he got off to a rough start — they lost their first game, didn’t they?” Johnson, chuckling, said Thursday afternoon. “But I was sure proud of him. I knew he’d be a great coach. He’s a bright guy and a hard worker. We’re happy for him.”
Johnson, of course, had been well aware of the Stampeders’ 15-2-1 record, of their berth in the Grey Cup, of Dickenson’s nomination for CFL coach of the year.
Not that any of that stuff came as a shock.
Not after coaching Dickenson in 1989 and 1990, not after watching him carry Charles M. Russell High School to a 26-0 record, to back-toback state titles.
“Dave was just the kind of kid who inspired other people,” said Johnson, who ran the school’s football program for 41 years. “As a player, he was a natural leader. He had that ability when he walked in the huddle … some people just have that touch. He made everyone around him better. And that personality just rubs off on the players that he’s coaching, as well.
“The kid never had aB, I don’t think, in his life. Just one of those unusual kids that you don’t run into very often. So I’m not surprised that he’s successful.” Top of the class, in fact. Thursday evening at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Stamps’ skipper was declared the league’s coach of the year, getting the nod over Eastern finalist Rick Campbell of the Ottawa Redblacks.
Receiving first-place votes on 72 of the 73 ballots, he joins Ron Lancaster as the only gents in league history to capture both the Most Outstanding Player and top coach awards.
Dickenson, however, isn’t one to crow.
With aplomb, he hands off credit to his boss, John Hufnagel, to his fellow staffers, and to his highachieving underlings.
“I have a philosophy that coaches can help, but you’re really at the mercy of your players,” Dickenson said earlier this week. “Players win and lose games. Now, coaches can help screw it up as well, so I think we give them a little bit of help and some tips. But it’s still the players’ game. We put a lot of faith and trust in them. You have to have the right guys and it’s a lot about personalities, how they mix and match.”
The key to success, if you listen to his troops, is simply being truthful. No mind games. Just the straight goods, unvarnished and unsweetened.
Being plain-spoken is what separates Dickenson from the pack.
“Dave is going to tell you how it is, whether you like it or not,” said Marquay McDaniel. “He’s going to let you know. You don’t have to wonder, ‘Am I up? What’s going on?’ I’ve been in situations on other teams where you just don’t know what’s going on until maybe the day before (a game).”
Dave was just the kind of kid who inspired other people. As a player, he was a natural leader. ... He made everyone around him better.
“But Dave’s honest ... that’s one thing you want in a head coach because it trickles down to the other coaches. You want to be somewhere where you can trust your coaches.”
Dickenson, as a quarterback, had always been a star.
His No. 15 jersey was retired by his high school, then by the University of Montana. He went on to win three Grey Cups, including recognition as the game’s Most Valuable Player Award in 2006.
Career over, he turned to coaching. And promptly he excelled as the head whip cracker.
Establishing CFL records for 15 victories as a rookie coach, for the 14-game winning streak, for the 16-game unbeaten streak.
“A genius,” is what Jerome Messam calls Dickenson.
“He’s extremely detailed, like a mad scientist almost,” said Joshua Bell. “Extremely smart, intelligent. He’s our coach, but you can tell he was a player. You can feel that he has an understanding of every aspect of playing, preparation, coaching.”
But Dickenson’s influence goes beyond Xs and Os, beyond the film room, beyond the white board.
“He’s a guy you’d get back-toback with and go into a fight with,” said Bell. “He’s family. Really, really family with Dickie. He’s not too far from his emotions. He stays composed, but you can see his emotion — you can see everything.
“He’s transparent to us as much as he can be in this business. And that’s tough to ask for from a lot of coaches.
“I’ve played for a lot of coaches and all of them aren’t personable. You can’t really get a feel for them. You know they’re just politicking with you. But Dickie is a straight shooter.”