B.C. Lions' Wally Buono named CFL Coach of the Year
Although no longer coach of the B.C. Lions, Wally Buono has been named the Canadian Football League's Coach of the Year. The honour which recognizes the work Buono did leading the Lions to last November's Grey Cup—before stepping aside as coach in December—was announced during league meetings in Toronto this morning. The 62-year-old earned the nod over fellow finalists Paul LaPolice of Winnipeg and Edmonton's Kavis Reed in voting among members of the Football Reporters of Canada.
Buono was the deserving recipient after leading his team to the championship following an 0-5 start. At the time, there were calls for his resignation and questions about whether the game had passed the veteran coach by. Buono refused to cave into the criticism, made the necessary adjustments and got his team turned in the right direction. The Lions won 10 of their final 11 regular season games to finish first in the West with an 11-7 record. They then won both playoff games including a 34-23 triumph over LaPolice and his Blue Bombers to lay claim to the Grey Cup title.
Weeks later, Buono retired as coach to focus his efforts on his general manager's duties. He left the sidelines with a CFL-record 254 coaching victories over 22 years as a head coach in Calgary and BC. Buono is now trying to put the pieces in place that will allow his replacement Mike Benevides and the Lions to successfully defend their Grey Cup championship—something the organization has never done.
It's the fourth time in his career Buono has earned the CFL Coach of the Year award to go along with the others he won in 1992, 1993, and 2006. Only Don Matthews has more Coach of the Year awards with five.
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