Where there’s smoke there sometimes really is fire! It was a couple of weeks ago that the Montreal Gazette first reported that Alouettes Head Coach Don Matthews wasn’t going to be on the Alouette sidelines for much longer.
It was a story that at the time was dismissed by Alouette executives, who claimed that Matthews had a job as long as he wanted it. Turns out that if true, Matthews may have only wanted it for a few more days, in a surprising development on Wednesday; the Als announced that Matthews had stepped down from his duties due to health concerns.
Roll back the clock a few years to his days in Edmonton and another press conference just before the 2001 season, where the Eskimo brain trust at the time told much the same story, Matthews was leaving his post due to unspecified health concerns. Shortly after that prognosis Matthews would be back in the CFL saddle, racking up wins and molding yet another franchise with his style of play.
The CFL’s dean of coaches, who has had remarkable success with six CFL teams (Toronto twice!) he won Grey Cups, finished atop the standings frequently and has crafted some of the most impressive records assembled in the CFL. He also was a rather difficult guy to get along with, especially with the ink stained wretches of the media.
The Al's GM Jim Popp, who two weeks ago told Brian Williams he had no plans to take over, actually does just that taking over the Als for the rest of the season, while the resumes begin to arrive. Already the names of Jim Barker, Danny Maciocia and Dave Ritchie, to name a few, have popped up as possible replacements for Matthews next year.
As for the Don, he always said when his time came he just wanted to walk off the field and disappear. If this is his final curtain call (and with Matthews nothing it seems is ever certain), it looks like he got his wish, whether he was pushed or walked away on his own steam remains to be seen. But as he exits the stadium he takes a pretty good record of success for a career with him, despite the hole that the Als are slowly trying to dig themselves out of as they head towards the playoffs.
More importantly he leaves in a whiff of mystery that will only add to his legend, something that might appeal to one of the most dominating coaches and more remarkable characters that the CFL has seen in years.
The above post first appeared on my Twelve Men on the Field blog, a site which features news of the CFL.
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