Donald J. Matthews,^[1] a.k.a. "the Don", (June 22, 1939 – June 14, 2017) was ahead coach of several professional football teams, mostly in theCanadian Football League (CFL). He won 231 games in the CFL, thesecond 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 theCanadian Football Hall of Fame in September 2011.

Matthews was born inAmesbury, Massachusetts, the son of Canadian-born parents, Ida (Babin), fromTracadie,New Brunswick, and Fred Matthews, a steel mill worker fromPrince Edward Island.^[2] 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 theU.S. Marine Corps.^[3]

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 toMoscow, Idaho. Hewalked-on atIdaho as alinebacker on the freshman team;^[4] he was awarded ascholarship by varsity head coachSkip Stahley after his first semester.^[5] He earned three letters and was a team captain in his senior season of1963, when the Vandals, in their second year underDee Andros, achieved their first winning season in a quarter century.^[6] Matthews graduated from theUniversity of Idaho with a degree in education in 1964.^[3][7][8]

Matthews was agraduate assistant for theVandals inMoscow for the1964 season under Andros and freshman coachBud Riley.^[9] Matthews then coachedhigh school football inNevada atEly for four years and won a state title. He relocated toEastern Washington atSpokane in 1969 as head coach atFerris, where he led the Saxons to the city title in his second and final year.^[10]

Matthews became a collegiate assistant coach back at hisalma mater in1971 as offensive line coach (later as offensive coordinator), under second-year head coachDon Robbins.^[7] After an0–2 start, the Vandals finished at8–3, which included an eight-game winning streak, and won theBig Sky title. At the time it was the best record in school history, and three seniors were selected in the1972 NFL draft. Two years later, Robbins was fired following the1973 season and Matthews moved to thePortland area. He took over a winless program atSunset High School inBeaverton and won consecutive state championships in 1975 and 1976, going undefeated in his third and final year.^[3] He left Sunset after the 1976 season to become aCFL assistant coach inEdmonton,Alberta.^[11]

In 1977, Edmonton Eskimos Head Coach,Hugh Campbell, hired Matthews for his first professional football coaching job.^[12] Matthews worked with the team’s linebackers that year.^[12]

In 1978, Campbell promoted Matthews to defensive coordinator.^[12]

From 1977 to 1982, Edmonton went to 6 consecutive Grey Cups and won the final 5 in a row. During this time, 3 Edmonton defensive players won theCFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award:Danny Kepley in 1977, 1980, and 1981,Dave "Dr. Death" Fennell in 1978, andJames "Quick" Parker in 1982.

In1983, Matthews was hired as the head coach of the BC Lions by general managerBob Ackles. That year, the Lions started playing games at BC Place Stadium. In their first home game of the season, against Saskatchewan, Matthews called for an onside kick on the opening kickoff, and BC recovered.^[12] BC finished first in the West, and defeated Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the West Final, which qualified the Lions to play in the Grey Cup in their home stadium. Unfortunately for them, they lost the Grey Cup to the Toronto Argonauts.

In1984, BC finished first in the West once again.James "Quick" Parker won the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award. BC lost the West Final to the eventual champions, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

In1985, BC finished with a league-best 13-3 record. Matthews won his firstCoach of the Year Award andMervyn Fernandez won theCFL's Most Outstanding Player Award. BC defeated the Blue Bombers in the West Final, and won their first Grey Cup since 1964.

In1986, BC finished second in the West Division. Parker once again won the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award. BC met Winnipeg in the playoffs at BC Place for the fourth consecutive season, this time in the West Semi-Final. BC defeated Winnipeg, but lost to the first place Edmonton Eskimos in the West Final.

In1987, Matthews started the season as BC's head coach, but was fired during the season and replaced byLarry Donovan.

Matthews became a defensive assistant coach with Edmonton in1989. The Eskimos finished a league-record 16-2. Eight of Edmonton's defensive players were named West Division All-Stars, of whom five were CFL All-Stars.Danny Bass won the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award. Edmonton was defeated by Saskatchewan in the West Final.

In1990, Matthews was hired by the Toronto Argonauts to be their head coach. He guided the team to second place in the East Division.Mike "Pinball" Clemons won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award. The Argonauts lost 20-17 in the East Final to the eventual Grey Cup champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Matthews was the head coach of theOrlando Thunder of theWorld League of American Football in 1991.^[13]

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 6000 yards in a season. In 1993,Jearld Baylis won the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award.

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.

In1996, 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.

In1997, 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.

In1998, the Argonauts finished 9-9.Derrell Mitchell gained exactly 2000 yards receiving. The Argonauts lost the East Semi-Final to the Montreal Alouettes.

In1999, 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.

In2000, 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.^[14]

In2002, 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.

In2003, Montreal finished with a league-best 13-5 record again, but lost the Grey Cup this time to Edmonton.

In2004, Montreal finished with a league-best 14-4 record, but lost the East Final to the eventual Grey Cup champions, the Toronto Argonauts.

In2005, 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 October2006, Matthews stepped down as head coach of the Alouettes expressing undisclosed health issues that were "affecting his ability to perform".^[15]

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.^[16] In that press conference, Matthews revealed that the major health reason that caused him to step down as head coach of the Alouettes was ananxiety disorder. He also went further to say that he had been prescribed to some medication and the anxiety attacks are now under control.^[17][18] On October 31, 2008, he resigned from the Argonauts a day after the conclusion of the Argonauts2008 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 the2001 CFL season.^[19]

In May 2008, Matthews was announced as an advisor to theJeff Hunt-led group's conditionalOttawa franchise.^[20]

The Montreal Alouettes announced on July 30, 2014, that Matthews had joined the team in a coaching consultant role for the second consecutive year.^[21]

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.”^[12] He wanted to put his players in the right situations by making things simple for them and allowing them to play fast.^[12] Under Matthews, three quarterbacks passed for 5000 yards:Kent Austin,Doug Flutie, andAnthony Calvillo, with Austin and Calvillo each having a 6000 yard season under Matthews.

He was selected for induction in the Builder category into theCanadian Football Hall of Fame on February 10, 2011.^[22]

Don Matthews holds several head coaching records:^[23]

• MostGrey Cup appearances (9 – tied)
• Most Grey Cup wins (5 – tied)

He also has an additional five Grey Cup titles as defensive co-ordinator of theEdmonton Eskimos.

Source:statscrew.com

Matthews' mother, Ida, was afrancophone fromTracadie, New Brunswick, while his father, Fred, was fromPrince Edward Island. Had currentCanadian nationality laws been in effect in 1939, Matthews would have become a Canadian citizen under the principle ofjus 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.^[24]

Matthews had three sons and six grandchildren. He lived inBeaverton, Oregon, with his wife Stephanie and stepson Blaze.^[25]

On November 5, 2012, Matthews announced he was battling cancer and therefore would not be able to participate in any of the festivities for the100th Grey Cup in Toronto.^[26]

After a long 5-year battle with cancer, Matthews died on June 14, 2017.^[27]

• List of Canadian Football League head coaches by wins
• List of National Football League head coaches with 200 wins

• Toronto Argonauts profile
• Canadian Football Hall of Fame profile

• 1939 births
• 2017 deaths
• American football linebackers
• Baltimore Stallions coaches
• BC Lions coaches
• Edmonton Elks coaches
• Idaho Vandals football coaches
• Idaho Vandals football players
• Montreal Alouettes coaches
• Orlando Thunder coaches
• Saskatchewan Roughriders coaches
• Toronto Argonauts coaches
• Toronto Argonauts general managers
• High school football coaches in Oregon
• High school football coaches in Nevada
• High school football coaches in Washington (state)
• Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees
• People from Amesbury, Massachusetts
• Players of American football from Essex County, Massachusetts
• American emigrants to Canada
• American people of Canadian descent
• Naturalized citizens of Canada
• Deaths from cancer in Oregon

• Webarchive template wayback links
• All articles with dead external links
• Articles with dead external links from October 2025
• CS1: unfit URL
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from September 2011