It has been announced that long term Canadian Football League (CFL) Head Coach Don Matthews has passed away at 77.

Mr. Matthews was a long time Head Coach in the CFL, earning a record of 231 wins, 132 losses, and one tie.  He would coach teams to five Grey Cup titles.  His 231 wins are the second most wins in CFL history, only behind Wally Buono who is still coaching and enters the 2017 CFL season with 266 wins.

Mr. Matthews coached six different teams in the CFL over 20 seasons.  His first coaching job was with the BC Lions, who he coached from 1983 to 1987, he would coach the Toronto Argonauts on three different occasions (1990, 1996-1998, and then in 2008), the Saskatchewan Roughriders (1991-1993), Baltimore Stallions (1994-1995), Edmonton Eskimos (1999-2000), and the Montreal Alouettes (2002-2006.)  He would lead teams to five Grey Cup Titles – the BC Lions in 1985 (73rd Grey Cup), then three straight titles with the Baltimore Stallions in 1995 (83rd Grey Cup) and the Toronto Argonauts in 1996 and 1997 (84th and 85th Grey Cups), and finally with the Montreal Alouettes in 2002 (90th Grey Cup.)

Mr. Matthews was born on June 22nd, 1939 in Amesbury, Massachusetts.   He was the son of Canadian-born parents – Fred Matthews who was a steel mill worker from Prince Edward Island, and Ida from New Brunswick.  He would start out, after University and a three year stint in the Marines, by coaching high school football for several years.  He then was an assistant coach with his University team.  He was then an assistant coach from 1977 to 1982 with the Edmonton Eskimos.

He holds records as the Head Coach with the most Grey Cup wins (5) and Most Grey Cup appearances (9) – and has five additional Grey Cup titles as Defensive Co-ordinator for the Edmonton Eskimos.