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Wally Buono has a grand and heavy legacy in the Canadian Football League. And yet, it is within the realm of possibility that it could be endangered or diminished if he should fail as the head coach of the B.C. Lions, the second time around.
He has said before that “I don’t care about legacy. What legacy do I have? Legacy sometimes isn’t about what you accomplish. It’s about being a man of your word.” On Sunday, he began to live up to that credo.
Addressing the media on the opening of the Lions’ 63rd training camp, his first as head coach since 2011, Buono admitted that when he stepped down then he never really believed he would be back to coach again — only if it became absolutely necessary, he told owner David Braley and president Dennis Skulsky.
“I was mentally and emotionally tired,” Buono said, of passing the baton to Mike Benevides four seasons ago. “Doing it for 22 years took its toll. I’m at the point now where I’m much more refreshed. I’m cognizant that you have to treat people (players) differently, but I don’t think much has changed.”
Showing that he can adapt to the times, Buono is allowing players to take cellphones into team meetings, with one important proviso: “I’ve got a beeper on me. What do you do? You turn the damn thing off. I’m going to treat these guys like men, until they tell me they can’t respond like a man.”
When Buono coaches the Lions in their season opener June 25 against Calgary, he will establish another CFL milestone — as the longest tenured coach in league history. This will be his 23rd season, as a head coach in Calgary and B.C. ...
In 2009, Buono became the all-time wins leader, a year after Matthews returned for a third stint with the Toronto Argonauts. It did not go well. He went 0-8 as the replacement for Rich Stubler, then he got out of coaching for good. Matthews was 69 at the time. Buono turned 66 in February.
“My legacy, would be, to me, ‘Even though he didn’t have to, he came back,’” Buono said. “And maybe it wasn’t the easiest thing to do. The easiest thing would have been to sit on the sidelines and see it through, cruise through, get paid (as general manager) and move on. For me to coach, there is no benefit. I’m not getting paid more. Why? Because I made a commitment to David (Braley).”
He is humbled to be inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame on June 9, yet another citation for a man who has been a towering and transcendent presence in Canadian football. Buono already has his Order of Canada pin and Canadian Football Hall of Fame jacket, which he wears on occasions such as the annual CFL draft.
“Are they going to take away my Hall of Fame jacket, my Order of Canada, my B.C. Sports Hall of Fame induction?” Buono responded, when asked against about the possibility of his legacy being tarnished.