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He had the good fortune, and unenviable task, of following the popular and personable Marv Levy, who led Montreal to a pair of Grey Cups, and three Cup appearances, over five seasons.
But while Levy was known for seeking input from his veteran team — 17 players came in as rookies in 1972 — Scannella was brash, unwavering and opinionated. He was an old-school coach who wanted things done his way. An army veteran, he worked the players hard in practices and it wasn’t long before many balked at his philosophy.
“Joe was a nice man, but he was very direct. He had a driving social style. He wanted to be the boss and that proved to be a difficult challenge,” said Larry Smith, a former Als fullback who would eventually become Canadian Football League commissioner and, later, president of the team. We had a tight-knit group of people that knew how to play together,” added Smith, who became the leader of the opposition in the Canadian Senate in 2017. “In a sense, that could be a negative for a coach. The coach wanted to implement his own style and met with some resistance. He was in a no-win situation.”
Nonetheless, the Als reached the Grey Cup in 1978 and ’79 under Scannella, losing both to Edmonton. But the head coach had his challenges corralling the veterans, upset with hard and rigid practices along with Scannella’s impersonal approach. It soon became the players’ rallying cry. The veterans ran the team within themselves; the leaders keeping the core group together. ...
The Als went 8-8 in 1980, but lost the East Division final at Hamilton. Following the season, Sam Berger sold the team to Nelson Skalbania, who lured high-priced NFL players — quarterback Vince Ferragamo, receivers Billy (White Shoes) Johnson and James Scott, along with tailback David Overstreet — to Montreal. Fred Biletnikoff had played for Montreal the previous season, while Tom Cousineau completed a three-year stint in 1981. But Scannella never gained control of the high-powered offence.
Although he signed a two-year contract extension in July, Scannella was fired Sept. 12, following a home loss to Hamilton. It was the Als’ eighth defeat in nine games en route to a 3-13 record. Scannella’s parting words to the media were “no comment.” He had an overall record of 28-28-2.