 O'Shea with theWinnipeg Blue Bombers in 2025 | |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1970-09-21)September 21, 1970 (age 55) North Bay,Ontario, Canada |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 228 lb (103 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Widdifield |
| University | Guelph |
| CFL draft | 1993: 1st round, 4th overall pick |
| Position | Linebacker, No. 50 |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1993–1995 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| 1996 | Detroit Lions* |
| 1996–1999 | Toronto Argonauts |
| 2000 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| 2001–2008 | Toronto Argonauts |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
Coaching | |
| 2010–2013 | Toronto Argonauts (STC) |
| 2014–present | Winnipeg Blue Bombers (HC) |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at CFL.ca (archive) | |
Canadian Football Hall of Fame (Class of 2017) | |
Michael O'Shea (born September 21, 1970) is a Canadian professionalfootball coach and formerlinebacker who is currently the head coach of theWinnipeg Blue Bombers of theCanadian Football League (CFL). He currently ranksseventh all-time for wins by a CFL head coach. O'Shea was the special teams coordinator of theToronto Argonauts of the CFL from 2010 to 2013, winning theGrey Cup in2012. O'Shea played 16 seasons in the CFL for theHamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts from 1993 to 2008. He retiredsecond all-time in career tackles with 1,154 and is one of only three players to record over 1,000 tackles. He won theCFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award in1999 after recording 84 tackles, 13 special teams tackles and three interceptions that year. O'Shea is a three-timeGrey Cup champion as a player, having won all three with the Argonauts in1996,1997, and2004. He is also a two-time Grey Cup winning head coach, having won with theWinnipeg Blue Bombers in2019 and2021; O'Shea also won the Grey Cup previously as a special teams coach with the Toronto Argonauts in the100th Grey Cup.
TheEdmonton Eskimos picked O'Shea in the 1st round (4th overall) in the 1993 CFL Canadian College Draft. However, he was soon after traded to Hamilton by Edmonton along with QBDeChane Cameron, linebacker DeWayne Odom and a negotiation list player in exchange for QBDamon Allen on February 16, 1993.
In his first season in the CFL in 1993, O'Shea started in all 18 games. In 1994, he once again played in all 18 games during the regular season. He had 95 DT, 11 special teams tackles and 5 interceptions during the regular season. He was also named to the East Division All-Star team at middle linebacker. In 1995, O'Shea played in 10 games for Hamilton, made 69 DT, 4 special teams tackles and intercepted 2 passes during the regular season. He was named to the North Division All-Star team. In Hamilton's 31–13 loss to the Calgary Stampeders in the North Division Semi-Final, made 4 DT and 1 special teams tackle.
O'Shea signed with the Argonauts half way through the 1996 season after he was one of the final cuts in theDetroit Lions training camp. He played in the last 8 games of the regular season started Toronto's final 5 games of the regular season. He helped lead Toronto to the 1996 Grey Cup game in a win over Edmonton. He would also help Toronto win its second Grey Cup in as many years in the 1997 game. O'Shea would also play in Toronto in the 1998 and 1999 season as middle linebacker, putting up good numbers.
Hamilton acquired O'Shea in a trade with Toronto in exchange for RBÉric Lapointe, the right of first refusal on all offensive lineman and the playing rights toOrlondo Steinauer on June 11, 2000. He made an immediate impact in the season opener vs. B.C. as he contributed with 7 DT, made 3 DT On October 13, 2000 in the Tiger-Cats' 32–8 loss to Toronto, O'Shea had his best individual game of the season with 12 DT and 1 pass knockdown. He finished the season third in the league with 90 DT.
O'Shea signed with the Argonauts once again as a free agent in the 2001 season. The Argonauts had a horrible 2001 season. In 2002, the Argos seemed to turn it around, and made it to the East final only to lose to Montreal. In his second tenure with the Argonauts, O'Shea was an important component of the Argonauts' strong defence. In 2004, O'Shea helped lead the Argos to the 2004 Grey Cup Championship, beating the B.C. Lions 27–19, winning his 3rd Grey Cup, all with the Argonauts.
Against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on October 20, 2006, he became the first Canadian and third player in CFL history to record 1000 career tackles. In 2007, he was voted as themiddle linebacker on the All-Time Argos Team.[1] O'Shea was released by the Argonauts on February 27, 2009. He finished his career with the second most games played by an Argonaut with 205, 17 games behind former linebackerDon Moen.
Based on his playing career, he was inducted into theCanadian Football Hall of Fame in 2017.[2]
O'Shea was hired by theToronto Argonauts as their special teams coordinator for the 2010 season.
In2010,Chad Owens won theJohn Agro Special Teams Award and was named a CFL East and CFL league all-star special teams player.
In2011, Owens was a CFL East and CFL league all-star special teams player, andNoel Prefontaine was the CFL East all-star punter.
In2012, Owens won theCFL's Most Outstanding Player Award. O'Shea won his firstGrey Cup as a coach in the100th Grey Cup.
TheWinnipeg Blue Bombers hired O'Shea on December 4, 2013, he became the team's 30th head coach in team history.
The Blue Bombers gradually improved from the season before O'Shea arrived, 2013, when the team only won 3 regular season games, to 2019, when the team won the Grey Cup.
In2014, the Blue Bombers started the season 5–1, but finished 7–11 and did not qualify for the playoffs.
In2015, the Blue Bombers started the season 3–3, but finished 5–13 and did not qualify for the playoffs. One highlight for the season was the team's season-opening victory against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina. The Blue Bombers had not won a game in Regina since 2004.
In2016, the Blue Bombers started the season 1–4, but would go on to win their next seven in a row. Among these victories was a win in theLabour Day Classic against Saskatchewan in Regina. This would be the Blue Bombers' first Labour Day Classic victory since 2004. The Blue Bombers finished third in the West Division, and had their first winning season (11–7) since 2011. The team qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2011. In the West Semi-Final against the host BC Lions, the Blue Bombers lost 32–31.
In2017, the Blue Bombers tied both of their preseason games. The first was against Saskatchewan in the first CFL game played at the newMosaic Stadium in Regina. The second was versus Edmonton. After a bye week in Week 1, the Blue Bombers travelled back to Regina, and played against Saskatchewan in the first ever regular season game at the new Mosaic Stadium. The Blue Bombers won 43–40 in overtime whenJustin Medlock kicked the winning field goal. The Blue Bombers finished 12–6 on the season, which ranked second in the West Division, and second in the CFL overall. Winnipeg hosted their first playoff game since 2011, but lost 39–32 to Edmonton.
In2018, the Blue Bombers lost four games in a row between games 9 and 12, but would win their next five afterwards, including a shutout victory at home against Saskatchewan. Winnipeg finished third in the West Division with a 10–8 record, and travelled to play Saskatchewan in the West Semi-Final in the first ever playoff game at the new Mosaic Stadium. The Blue Bombers won the game 23–18, the team's first playoff victory since 2011, and would appear in a division final for the first time since 2011. In the West Final, Winnipeg fell to the eventual Grey Cup champions, the Calgary Stampeders, 22–14.
In2019, O'Shea's sixth year with the team, the Blue Bombers finished 11–7 and third place in the West Division. The team finished with an 8–1 home record, but would have to play on the road for the entire playoffs. In the West Semi-Final, the Blue Bombers defeated the defending Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders 35–14 at McMahon Stadium. In the West Final, Winnipeg travelled to Saskatchewan and defeated the Roughriders 20–13, allowing the Blue Bombers to play in their first Grey Cup game since 2011. The following week, O'Shea guided the Blue Bombers to their first Grey Cup victory since 1990 when they defeated theHamilton Tiger-Cats 33–12 in the107th Grey Cup game. This victory ended a 29-year drought in Winnipeg, one of the longest in CFL history.[3] O'Shea had helped establish a winning foundation for the Bombers, following four successful double-digit win seasons. As a result of this, the Blue Bombers extended him for an additional three seasons through to 2022.[4][3]
The2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In2021, the Blue Bombers were able to maintain a roster largely intact following the hiatus 2020 season. They finished first place in the West Division with a league-best 11–3 record, and went undefeated at home. This was the first time they finished first place in the West Division since 1972; they had finished first place in the East Division several times over the years. The Blue Bombers hosted the Saskatchewan Roughriders as they had in the 1972 West Final, but unlike that year, the Blue Bombers defeated the Roughriders 21–17. This victory allowed the Blue Bombers to qualify for their second consecutive Grey Cup appearance, something the team had not done since 1992–1993. O'Shea was namedCoach of the Year for the first time.[5] Winnipeg would once again defeat Hamilton in the108th Grey Cup, this time played at Hamilton's home stadium, 33–25 in overtime.
In2022, the Blue Bombers once again finished with the best record in the CFL, this time 15–3. They would host BC in the West Final, defeating them 28–20. The Blue Bombers would qualify for their third consecutive Grey Cup appearance, something not done since 1957–1959 whenBud Grant was the team's head coach. O'Shea was named Coach of the Year for the second straight season.[6] The Blue Bombers lost to the Toronto Argonauts in the109th Grey Cup game 24–23. Following three consecutive trips to the championship game, O'Shea and the Blue Bombers agreed on a three-year contract extension in December 2022.[7]
In2023, the Blue Bombers finished 14–4, good for first place in the West Division for the third consecutive season, but second in the league to the defending Grey Cup champion, Toronto Argonauts, who finished 16–2. Winnipeg defeated BC in the West Final for the second consecutive season, qualifying them for their fourth consecutive Grey Cup appearance. In the110th Grey Cup game, the Blue Bombers lost on a last second touchdown to the Montreal Alouettes.
In2024, Winnipeg started 0–4 and 2–6. In the team's ninth game, they shutout the BC Lions 25–0 at home, and held the Lions to four first downs for the entire game. In the team's 10th game of the season, after a bye week, Winnipeg defeated BC once again. This was O'Shea's 100th regular season win as a head coach. In Winnipeg'sLabour Day Classic victory against Saskatchewan, O'Shea tied Bud Grant's 102 victories as Blue Bombers head coach. In the team'sBanjo Bowl win over Saskatchewan the following week, he broke Grant's record; his 103rd victory as a CFL head coach placed him ninth all-time invictories for CFL head coaches. By the end of the season, O'Shea had tiedBob O'Billovich for eighth all-time in head coaching wins (107). The Blue Bombers finished with a winning record for the eighth consecutive season, first in the West Division for the fourth consecutive season, and appeared in the West Final for the sixth consecutive season. In the West Final, Winnipeg defeated Saskatchewan 38–22 en route to their fifth consecutive Grey Cup appearance, but lost the111th Grey Cup game to Toronto for the second time in three years.
In early2025, O'Shea surpassed the all-time head coaching win totals of O'Billovich (107) andDave Ritchie (108), moving into seventh all-time.
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Result | |||
| WPG | 2014 | 7 | 11 | 0 | .389 | 5th in West Division | – | – | Missed playoffs | |
| WPG | 2015 | 5 | 13 | 0 | .278 | 4th in West Division | – | – | Missed playoffs | |
| WPG | 2016 | 11 | 7 | 0 | .611 | 3rd in West Division | 0 | 1 | Lost in Division Semi-Finals | |
| WPG | 2017 | 12 | 6 | 0 | .667 | 2nd in West Division | 0 | 1 | Lost in Division Semi-Finals | |
| WPG | 2018 | 10 | 8 | 0 | .556 | 3rd in West Division | 1 | 1 | Lost in Division Finals | |
| WPG | 2019 | 11 | 7 | 0 | .611 | 3rd in West Division | 3 | 0 | Won107th Grey Cup | |
| WPG | 2020 | Season cancelled | ||||||||
| WPG | 2021 | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 1st in West Division | 2 | 0 | Won108th Grey Cup | |
| WPG | 2022 | 15 | 3 | 0 | .833 | 1st in West Division | 1 | 1 | Lost109th Grey Cup | |
| WPG | 2023 | 14 | 4 | 0 | .778 | 1st in West Division | 1 | 1 | Lost110th Grey Cup | |
| WPG | 2024 | 11 | 7 | 0 | .611 | 1st in West Division | 1 | 1 | Lost111th Grey Cup | |
| WPG | 2025 | 10 | 8 | 0 | .556 | 4th in West Division | 0 | 1 | Lost in Division Semi-Finals | |
| Total | 117 | 77 | 0 | .603 | 4 Division Championships | 9 | 7 | 2 Grey Cups | ||
O'Shea and his wife have three children; one son and two daughters. In August 2022 the City ofNorth Bay, Ontario named a football field at the Steve Omischl Sports Complex after him.[8]
Media related toMike O’Shea at Wikimedia Commons