Wally BuonoCM

Buono in 2009
No. 45, 39, 57[1]
Position	Linebacker
Personal information
Born	(1950-02-07)February 7, 1950 (age 75) Potenza, Italy
Career information
College	Idaho State
Career history
Playing
1972–1981	Montreal Alouettes
Coaching
1982	Montreal Junior Concordes (Coach)
1983–1985	Montreal Concordes (AC)
1986	Montreal Alouettes (AC)
1987–1989	Calgary Stampeders (AC)
1990–2002	Calgary Stampeders (HC)
2003–2011,2016–2018	BC Lions (HC)
Operations
1992–2002	Calgary Stampeders (GM)
2003–2017	BC Lions (GM)
Awards and highlights
As player 2×Grey Cup champion (1974,1977) As coach 5× Grey Cup champion (1992,1998,2001,2006,2011) 4×Annis Stukus Trophy (1992, 1993, 2006, 2011) CFL records Most regular-season wins by a head coach (282) Most first-place finishes by a head coach (13) Most Grey Cup wins by a head coach (5)
Canadian Football Hall of Fame (Class of 2014)

Pasquale "Wally"Buono^[2][3]CM (born February 7, 1950) is a Canadian ex-football coach currently working as the vice president of football operations, alternate governor and the former head coach of theBC Lions of theCanadian Football League (CFL), and one of the most successful head coaches in league history. He spent 22 years as head coach of theCalgary Stampeders and the Lions, which is tied for the most seasons coached all-time. On September 19, 2009, Buono became theCFL's all-time winningest coach when his Lions beat theToronto Argonauts 23–17, giving him 232 regular-season victories, passingDon Matthews.^[4] He retired in 2011 with a CFL record 254 regular-season wins as head coach, to focus on duties as general manager for the Lions. In 2016, Buono came out of retirement to coach the Lions again through the 2018 season. In the final home game of the 2018 season, Buono was honored with the Bob Ackles Award as he was retiring from football with the most wins as a coach.

Long before coaching Buono was a linebacker and punter for 10 seasons with theMontreal Alouettes, appearing in 152 consecutive games, not missing one, and in five Grey Cup games between 1972 and 1981, winning two in1974 and1977.

Buono's post-season coaching record is 23–17, with fiveGrey Cup victories in nine appearances. He won the Grey Cup championship in1992,1998 and2001 as head coach of the Stampeders and in2006 and2011 as head coach of the Lions. He won theAnnis Stukus Trophy as the CFL's Coach of the Year four times, in 1992, 1993, 2006, and 2011, second only to Don Matthews, who had five.^[5][6]

Born inPotenza,Italy in 1950, Buono moved toCanada in 1953 with his family. He became interested in football after playing pick up games as a youth inMontréal-Nord, Quebec and being encouraged by CFL all-starAl Phaneuf, a Christian who was coaching a youth football team at one of Montreal’s parks (who invited Buono to join the team.)^[7][8][9] Soon after, he began playing minor football inMontreal, Quebec.

Buono attendedIdaho State University and was alinebacker for the ISU Bengals. He returned to Canada and played 10 seasons with theMontreal Alouettes as alinebacker andpunter, appearing in 152 consecutive games, not missing one in his career. He appeared in five Grey Cups between 1974 and 1979, winning two in1974 and1977.

In 1982, after his retirement as a player, Buono served as a coach with theMontreal Junior Concordes.

From 1983 to 1985, he was an assistant coach with theMontreal Concordes, and then in 1986 with the Montreal Alouettes.

From 1987 to 1989, Buono served as an assistant coach with the Calgary Stampeders under head coachesBob Vespaziani andLary Kuharich.

In1990, Buono was hired as Calgary's head coach by Stampeders presidentNorman Kwong. Calgary defeated Edmonton in the final game of the regular season to clinch first place in the West Division for the first time since 1971. Calgary would lose the West Final at home to Edmonton 43-23.

In1991, Calgary finished second in the West, defeated the BC Lions in the Semi-Final, and beat Edmonton in the West Final in Edmonton. This was Calgary's first meaningful win in Edmonton since 1980. Calgary qualified for theGrey Cup for the first time since 1971, but ultimately lost to Toronto 36-21.

In1992, Buono added General Manager to his title. Calgary finished with the most wins in the CFL for the first time since 1967. Calgary beat Winnipeg 24-10 in theGrey Cup, the team's first Grey Cup win since 1971. Buono was namedCFL Coach of the Year for the first time.^[10]

In1993, under Buono's leadership, Calgary started 10-0, and finished 15-3. Calgary was hosting theGrey Cup, but the Stampeders ended up losing the West Final at home to Edmonton, who would go on to win the Grey Cup. Buono was named CFL Coach of the Year for the second time.^[10]

Going into the1994 season, Buono's Calgary teams had never lost a regular season game before August 1. In game 1 on July 8 in Saskatchewan, it looked like this streak would continue as Calgary held a 21-0 lead going into the third quarter. However, Saskatchewan scored 22 second half points, including the winning touchdown on the last play of the game. Despite this setback, Calgary finished 15-3, and scored a league record 698 points. Calgary's season would end much like it started, when BC came to Calgary for the West Final, and scored the winning touchdown on the last play of the game. BC would go on to win theGrey Cup.

In1995, perennial outstanding quarterback,Doug Flutie, suffered an injury. In his absence,Jeff Garcia emerged, and helped guide Calgary to another 15-3 season. Calgary would come up short in theGrey Cup, losing 37-20 against the Baltimore Stallions, the first American team to win the Grey Cup.

Calgary would finish first in1996 and second in1997 (the year Buono earned his 100th win as a head coach),^[11] but did not win any playoff games. In1998, Calgary finished first, defeated Edmonton in the West Final, and played Hamilton in theGrey Cup. Trailing by 1 point late in the game, Garcia engineered a drive which would allow placekickerMark McLoughlin to kick the game-winning field goal. Calgary won 26-24, giving Buono his second Grey Cup win as a head coach.

In his final 4 seasons in Calgary, Buono reached the Grey Cup twice, losing in1999, and winning in2001 with a team that won 8 regular season games.

In Buono's 13 seasons as Calgary's head coach, he amassed a regular season record of 153–79–2. His 153 wins placed him second all-time in CFL history for a head coach at the time, and were the most wins for a CFL Head Coach with a single team.

He led the Stampeders to the playoffs for 12 consecutive seasons, including 8 first-place finishes and 5 straight from 1992 to 1996, and 11 Division Final appearances. His teams only missed the playoffs once, in2002. The Stampeders went to 6 Grey Cup games under Buono, winning 3: 1992, 1998, and 2001, and losing 3: 1991, 1995, 1999. He left the franchise as its winningest coach in championships, allegedly only leaving because the Stampeders attempted to force him to playKevin Feterik, the owner's son, as the starting quarterback, a charge both the Feteriks denied.^[12]

Buono was hired as head coach and general manager of the BC Lions prior to the2003 season. In the first five seasons under Buono (2003–2007), the Lions went 62–27–1 in regular-season play, with five straight playoff appearances, four straight first-place finishes (2004–2007), and two Grey Cup appearances: a 27-19 loss to theToronto Argonauts in2004 and a 25-14 victory over theMontreal Alouettes in2006. His teams went through a slight downturn for the following three seasons, including two that were under .500. His team returned to prominence in2011 after they once again finished first in the west division and followed it with a 34-23 victory over theWinnipeg Blue Bombers in the99th Grey Cup athome.

He announced his resignation as head coach of the Lions on December 5, 2011 to focus on his duties as general manager.^[13]

In 2014, he was inducted into theCanadian Football Hall of Fame.^[10]

From 2012 through the2015 CFL season the Lions failed to win any playoff games, despite making the playoffs all four seasons. On December 2, 2015, the Lions announced that Buono would resume his position as head coach for the2016 CFL season after head coachJeff Tedford announced his resignation following a disappointing 7-11 season.^[14] On March 2, 2016, the Lions announced that they had extended Wally Buono's contract (as a head-coach/GM) through the 2017 CFL season.^[15]

Following the 2017 season, Buono announced he was relinquishing the General Manager position in order to focus on his head coaching duties.Ed Hervey was hired as the new GM of the Lions. Buono retains his position as the Vice President of Football Operations. Buono also stated that 2018 will be his final year as head coach.^[16] With 129 wins over two stints, he is the winningest coach in Lions history, and one of the few coaches to top the all-time wins list with two CFL teams.

Buono, along withJohn Hufnagel,^[17] Calgary's offensive coordinator under Buono from 1990 to 1996, and Tedford,^[17] an offensive assistant coach in Calgary in the early 1990s, implemented an offensive system that Buono used throughout his coaching career.^[18] The five- and six-receiver package became a staple in Buono's teams' offences.^[17] Also, Buono felt it was important that backup quarterbacks get sufficient time in practice to develop.^[18]

Calgary under Buono went to Grey Cups with the following starting quarterbacks:Danny Barrett, Flutie (2), Garcia,Dave Dickenson, andMarcus Crandell. In BC, Buono's starting quarterbacks in Grey Cup games were Dickenson (2) andTravis Lulay. Other quarterbacks who had success under Buono wereHenry Burris,^[18]Mike McCoy,Ben Sankey,Casey Printers,Spergon Wynn,Buck Pierce,^[18]Jarious Jackson, andJonathon Jennings.

The Wally Buono Award was established in 2003 by The Saint Bernard Pass Charitable Foundation for the purpose of recognizing Canada's top junior football player. The award is a national award.^[19] Recipients must prove their athletic and leadership ability on the field as well as a high level of leadership within their community. The Saint Bernard Pass Charitable Foundation is the Swiss-based foundation of Christina Saint Marche. The winners of the award are as follows:

• 2014 – LB Dylan Chapdelaine, Vancouver Island Raiders (BCFC/CJFL)^[20]
• 2013 – QB Asher Hastings, Regina Thunder (PCF/CJFL)
• 2012 – QB Jordan Yantz, Vancouver Island Raiders (BCFC/CJFL)
• 2011 – SB Michael Schaper, Vancouver Island Raiders (BCFC/CJFL)^[21]
• 2010 – DL Kleevens Jean-Louis, Châteauguay Raiders (QJFL)^[22]
• 2009 – RBAndrew Harris, Vancouver Island Raiders (BCFC/CJFL)^[23]
• 2008 – WRCassidy Doneff, Calgary Colts (PFC/CJFL)^[24]
• 2007 – RB Tristan Jones, Edmonton Wildcats (PFC/CJFL)^[25]
• 2006 – QB Nate Friesen, Winnipeg Rifles (PFC/CJFL)^[26]
• 2005 – RB Jeff Halvorson, Posthumous, Okanagan Sun (BCFC/CJFL)^[27]
• 2004 – RBChris Ciezki, Edmonton Huskies (PFC/CJFL)^[28]
• 2003 – RB Alan Giacalone, Calgary Colts (PFC/CJFL)^[29]

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

Wikimedia Commons has media related toWally Buono.

• Wally Buono onTwitter

• 1950 births
• Living people
• American football linebackers
• Canadian football linebackers
• Canadian football punters
• BC Lions coaches
• BC Lions general managers
• Calgary Stampeders coaches
• Calgary Stampeders general managers
• Idaho State Bengals football players
• Montreal Alouettes players
• Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees
• Sportspeople from Potenza
• Members of the Order of Canada
• Anglophone Quebec people
• Italian emigrants to Canada
• Players of Canadian football from Montreal
• People from Montréal-Nord
• Montreal Alouettes coaches
• Italian players of Canadian football
• Italian players of American football
• Players of American football from Quebec

• CS1 maint: archived copy as title
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from August 2024
• Commons category link from Wikidata