Wally Buono facts for kids
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Buono in 2009
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| Born: | February 7, 1950 Potenza, Italy |
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| Career information | |
| Position(s) | General manager Head coach |
| College | Idaho State University |
| Career history | |
| As administrator | |
| 1992–2002 | Calgary Stampeders (GM) |
| 2003–2017 | BC Lions (GM) |
| As coach | |
| 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) |
| As player | |
| 1972–1981 | Montreal Alouettes |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Awards | 4× Annis Stukus Trophy (1992, 1993, 2006, 2011) |
| Honours | 7× Grey Cup champion As player: 1974, 1977 As coach: 1992, 1998, 2001, 2006, 2011 |
| 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) |
| Career stats | |
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Wally Buono (born February 7, 1950) is a famous Canadian football coach. He is known as one of the most successful head coaches in the history of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Buono spent 22 years as a head coach for the Calgary Stampeders and the BC Lions. This is tied for the most seasons coached by anyone in the league.
On September 19, 2009, Buono became the CFL's all-time winningest coach. His Lions team beat the Toronto Argonauts 23–17. This win gave him 232 regular-season victories, passing the previous record holder, Don Matthews. Buono retired in 2011 with a CFL record of 254 regular-season wins as a head coach. He then focused on his role as general manager for the Lions.
In 2016, Buono returned to coach the Lions again until the end of the 2018 season. In his final home game of the 2018 season, he received the Bob Ackles Award. This award honored him as he retired from football with the most wins as a coach. Before becoming a coach, Buono played as a linebacker and punter for 10 seasons. He played for the Montreal Alouettes. He played in 152 games in a row and appeared in five Grey Cup games. He won two Grey Cups as a player in 1974 and 1977.
As a coach, Buono's playoff record is 23 wins and 17 losses. He won five Grey Cup championships in nine appearances. He won the Grey Cup in 1992, 1998, and 2001 with the Stampeders. He also won in 2006 and 2011 with the Lions. He won the Annis Stukus Trophy (CFL's Coach of the Year) four times. These wins were in 1992, 1993, 2006, and 2011. Only Don Matthews has won it more times (five).
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Wally Buono's Early Life and Playing Career
Wally Buono was born in Potenza, Italy, in 1950. His family moved to Canada in 1953. He became interested in football by playing pickup games as a kid in Montréal-Nord, Quebec. A CFL all-star named Al Phaneuf encouraged him to join a youth football team. Soon after, Buono started playing minor football in Montreal, Quebec.
Buono went to Idaho State University. He played as a linebacker for the ISU Bengals team. After college, he returned to Canada. He played 10 seasons with the Montreal Alouettes. He was a linebacker and punter. He played in 152 games without missing any. He played in five Grey Cups between 1974 and 1979. He won two of them in 1974 and 1977.
Wally Buono's Coaching Journey
After he stopped playing, Wally Buono became a coach.
Starting as a Coach
In 1982, Buono coached the Montreal Junior Concordes. From 1983 to 1985, he was an assistant coach for the Montreal Concordes. In 1986, he was an assistant coach for the Montreal Alouettes.
Coaching the Calgary Stampeders
From 1987 to 1989, Buono was an assistant coach for the Calgary Stampeders. He worked under head coaches Bob Vespaziani and Lary Kuharich.
Becoming Head Coach in Calgary
In 1990, Wally Buono became the head coach of the Calgary Stampeders. That year, Calgary finished first in their division for the first time since 1971. They lost in the division final.
In 1991, Calgary finished second. They won their playoff games and reached the Grey Cup for the first time since 1971. However, they lost the championship game.
In 1992, Buono also became the General Manager. Calgary had the most wins in the CFL that year. They won the Grey Cup, their first since 1971. Buono was named CFL Coach of the Year for the first time.
In 1993, Calgary started the season with 10 wins in a row. They finished with 15 wins and 3 losses. Calgary was hosting the Grey Cup that year. But they lost their division final game at home. Buono was named CFL Coach of the Year again.
In 1994, Calgary finished with 15 wins and 3 losses. They scored a league record of 698 points. Their season ended when they lost a close division final game.
In 1995, Calgary had another great season with 15 wins. They reached the Grey Cup but lost to the Baltimore Stallions. This was the first time an American team won the Grey Cup.
Calgary finished first in 1996. In 1997, Buono earned his 100th win as a head coach. In 1998, Calgary finished first again. They won the Grey Cup with a last-minute field goal. This was Buono's second Grey Cup win as a head coach.
In his last four seasons in Calgary, Buono reached the Grey Cup twice. He lost in 1999 and won in 2001. His 2001 team won the Grey Cup even though they only won 8 regular season games.
In his 13 seasons as Calgary's head coach, Buono had a record of 153 wins, 79 losses, and 2 ties. He led the Stampeders to the playoffs for 12 years in a row. His teams finished first in their division 8 times. They went to 6 Grey Cup games, winning 3 (1992, 1998, 2001) and losing 3 (1991, 1995, 1999).
Coaching the BC Lions
Buono became the head coach and general manager of the BC Lions before the 2003 season. In his first five years (2003–2007), the Lions had a great record. They made the playoffs five times in a row. They finished first in their division four times (2004–2007). They played in two Grey Cups: losing in 2004 and winning in 2006.
His team had a few tougher seasons after that. But they returned to success in 2011. They finished first in their division again. They then won the 99th Grey Cup at home in BC Place.
On December 5, 2011, Buono announced he would stop coaching the Lions. He wanted to focus on being the general manager. In 2014, he was added to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
From 2012 to 2015, the Lions made the playoffs but did not win any playoff games. On December 2, 2015, the Lions announced that Buono would coach the team again for the 2016 CFL season. He continued as head coach and general manager through the 2017 season.
After the 2017 season, Buono decided to focus only on coaching. Ed Hervey was hired as the new general manager. Buono also said that 2018 would be his last year as head coach. With 129 wins, he is the winningest coach in Lions history. He is one of the few coaches to be the all-time winningest coach for two different CFL teams.
Coaching Style
Wally Buono, along with his offensive coordinators, developed a special offensive system. This system used many receivers in plays. Buono also believed it was important for backup quarterbacks to practice a lot. This helped them get better.
Many successful quarterbacks played under Buono. These include Danny Barrett, Doug Flutie, Jeff Garcia, Dave Dickenson, Marcus Crandell, and Travis Lulay. Other quarterbacks who did well with Buono were Henry Burris, Mike McCoy, Casey Printers, and Jonathon Jennings.
The Wally Buono Award
The Wally Buono Award was created in 2003. It recognizes Canada's best junior football player. This is a national award. Winners must show strong athletic and leadership skills on the field. They also need to show great leadership in their community.
Here are some of the past winners:
- 2014 – LB Dylan Chapdelaine, Vancouver Island Raiders
- 2013 – QB Asher Hastings, Regina Thunder
- 2012 – QB Jordan Yantz, Vancouver Island Raiders
- 2011 – SB Michael Schaper, Vancouver Island Raiders
- 2010 – DL Kleevens Jean-Louis, Châteauguay Raiders
- 2009 – RB Andrew Harris, Vancouver Island Raiders
- 2008 – WR Cassidy Doneff, Calgary Colts
- 2007 – RB Tristan Jones, Edmonton Wildcats
- 2006 – QB Nate Friesen, Winnipeg Rifles
- 2005 – RB Jeff Halvorson, Okanagan Sun
- 2004 – RB Chris Ciezki, Edmonton Huskies
- 2003 – RB Alan Giacalone, Calgary Colts
