'The Don' credits players for success

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'The Don' credits players for success

Former Als coach will go down in history as one of the true characters of the CFL

BY VICKI HALL, POSTMEDIA NEWS; CALGARY HERALD SEPTEMBER 12, 2011

Don Matthews never believed in curfews, either for himself or his players.

He told off-colour jokes that made grown men giggle with embarrassment. He rode a Harley, rarely took off his patented Oakley sunglasses and dated women half his age.

Known in the Canadian Football League simply as "The Don," Matthews will go down in history as one of the true characters of the threedown game.

Talk to his former charges and they call him the ultimate players' coach, so it's no surprise Matthews, 72, deflects all credit for his upcoming entry in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame to the men in cleats and shoulder pads.

"Well, I'm certainly delighted and honoured to be able to enter the Hall of Fame," Matthews said from his home in Portland, Oregon. "But my vision is that the Hall is built by the players. By their actions, skills. By the entertainment value they provide.

"I'm just delighted that I've been around such great, great players that I'm allowed to go in with them."

Allowed to go in with them? As the winningest coach in CFL history (231 victories), Matthews arguably headlines the Hall of Fame class of 2011 - a star-studded group that includes former players Danny McManus, Joe Montford, Terry Vaughn, Ken Lehmann and Chris Flynn. Gino Fracas will be inducted posthumously with Matthews in the builders' category.

Through 22 years with B.C., Baltimore, Saskatchewan, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal, Matthews reached the Grey Cup nine times. With his high-risk, high-reward philosophy, he won a record five championships as a CFL head coach.

Practices under Matthews rarely included shoulder pads or hitting. Veteran players enjoyed unscheduled days off to rest their bodies and, hopefully, prolong their careers.

As for late-night carousing, well, The Don figured the personal lives of his players were just that - personal.

"He's the best coach for a reason," Kevin Lefsrud, a retired guard with the Edmonton Eskimos and Alouettes, said back in 2006. "Don knows that every guy is different. Some people need to freelance and to do their thing without much supervision. Other people need structure - law and order - to be yelled at every once in a while.

"He knows how to do both. And that's the sign of a really good coach. It's the same in the military. Good generals do the same thing."

Funnily enough, Matthews served three years in the U.S. Marine corps before joining the University of Idaho football team as a walk-on. He broke into the CFL in 1977 as an assistant with the Eskimos. The following season, he was promoted to defensive coordinator.

The wins came fast and furious as he helped the club win five straight Grey Cup titles before receiving his first head-coaching job with the B.C. Lions in 1983.

"I was very fortunate to have a lot of success with the players," Matthews said. "They bought in.

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