Don Matthews

Donald J. Matthews, a.k.a. "the Don", (June 22, 1939 – June 14, 2017) was a head coach of several professional football teams, mostly 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 while the first and so far only coach to lead four teams to Grey Cup victories. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in September 2011.

Early life and college Matthews was born in Amesbury, Massachusetts, the son of Canadian-born parents, Ida (Babin), from Tracadie, New Brunswick, and Fred Matthews, a steel mill worker from Prince Edward Island. From a large family of limited means and education, he quit high school in Amesbury after his senior season of football in 1956 and served three years in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Matthews 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; he was awarded a scholarship by varsity head coach Skip Stahley after his first semester. 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. Matthews graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in education in 1964.

Early career Matthews was a graduate assistant for the Vandals in Moscow for the 1964 season under Andros and freshman coach Bud Riley. Matthews then coached high school football in Nevada at Ely 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.

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.

Pro coaching career

Edmonton Eskimos (first stint) In 1977, Edmonton Eskimos Head Coach, Hugh Campbell, hired Matthews for his first professional football coaching job. Matthews worked with the team's linebackers that year.

Saskatchewan Roughriders In August 1991, the Saskatchewan Roughriders fired their head coach, John Gregory. Matthews was hired as his replacement. The team missed the playoffs in 1991, but qualified in 1992 and 1993, only to lose both years to Edmonton in the West Semi-Final. In 1992, Kent Austin led the CFL in passing yards, and became the second quarterback in CFL history to pass for 6,000 yards in a season. In 1993, Jearld Baylis won the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award.

Baltimore CFLers and Stallions In 1994, the new Baltimore CFL franchise hired Matthews as head coach. Baltimore finished 12-6 and went to the Grey Cup, only to lose to BC in their own stadium.

In 1995, Baltimore finished 15–3, and defeated the Calgary Stampeders in the Grey Cup.

Toronto Argonauts (second stint) In 1996, Matthews coached the Toronto Argonauts to a league-best 15–3 record, reversing their 4–14 record from the year before. Doug Flutie won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award. They won the Grey Cup against Edmonton and Flutie was the MVP of the game.

In 1997, Matthews coached the Argonauts to a league-best 15–3 record once again. Flutie won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award again. Toronto defeated Saskatchewan in the Grey Cup and Flutie was once again name the MVP of the game.

In 1998, the Argonauts finished 9-9. Derrell Mitchell gained exactly 2,000 yards receiving. The Argonauts lost the East Semi-Final to the Montreal Alouettes.

Edmonton Eskimos (third stint) In 1999, Matthews was hired by Edmonton for his third stint with the team, but his first as head coach. Edmonton finished 6–12, but was able to qualify for the playoffs for a CFL record 28th consecutive season. Edmonton lost to Calgary in the West Semi-Final.

In 2000, Edmonton improved its record to 10-8 and second place in the West. However, Edmonton would lose in the West Semi Final to the eventual Grey Cup champions, the BC Lions.

After coaching the Eskimos for two seasons, Matthews resigned as head coach just prior to the team's first preseason game on June 18, 2001.

Montreal Alouettes In 2002, Matthews was hired by the Montreal Alouettes, and coach the team to a CFL best 13–5 record. The Alouettes won their first Grey Cup since 1977 by defeating Matthews' former team, the Edmonton Eskimos in Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium.

In 2003, Montreal finished with a league-best 13–5 record again, but lost the Grey Cup this time to Edmonton.

In 2004, Montreal finished with a league-best 14–4 record, but lost the East Final to the eventual Grey Cup champions, the Toronto Argonauts.

In 2005, Montreal finished second in the East Division, defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the crossover East Semi-Final, and went into Toronto and defeated the Argonauts in the East Final. In the Grey Cup, the Alouettes lost in overtime to Edmonton.

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

Toronto Argonauts (third stint) 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. 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. 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.

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

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

Legacy When Matthews' head coaching career was complete, he was the winningest head coach in CFL history. He won 10 total Grey Cups, 5 of which came when he was an assistant coach in Edmonton. The other 5 came when he was a head coach, which tied the CFL record for most Grey Cup wins as a head coach.

Matthews' coaching style in the CFL was termed "living on the edge" by employing “wide open offensive football, and attacking, in-your-face, defensive football.”

Coaching records Don Matthews holds several head coaching records: Most Grey Cup appearances (9 – tied) Most Grey Cup wins (5 – tied) He also has an additional five Grey Cup titles as defensive co-ordinator of the Edmonton Eskimos.

CFL head coaching record Source: statscrew.com

Personal Matthews' mother, Ida, was a francophone from Tracadie, New Brunswick, while his father, Fred, was from Prince Edward Island. Had current Canadian nationality laws been in effect in 1939, Matthews would have become a Canadian citizen under the principle of jus sanguines, but separate Canadian citizenship was not enacted until 1947 and was not extended retroactively to anyone born outside the country prior to 1947. In 2004, Matthews became a naturalized Canadian citizen.

Matthews had three sons and six grandchildren. He lived in Beaverton, Oregon, with his wife Stephanie and stepson Blaze.

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.

After a long 5-year battle with cancer, Matthews died on June 14, 2017.