This article contains a list of Canadian Football League head coaches by regular season wins. This list is current through the close of the 2023 regular season.
This list also includes coaches who coached in the CFL's predecessor leagues, the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (CFL East Division) and the Western Interprovincial Football Union (CFL West Division).
Wally Buono is the all-time leader in both wins and losses with 282 wins, 165 losses, and three ties. Ten coaches have more than 100 wins and only Buono and Don Matthews have more than 200.
As of the end of the 2023 CFL season, the active head coach with the most wins is Mike O'Shea, who has 96 wins and 62 losses.
Five head coaches share the record for Grey Cup championships at five: Wally Buono, Don Matthews, Frank Clair, Hugh Campbell, and Lew Hayman.[1]
† | Elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame as a builder |
---|---|
‡ | Elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame as a player |
* | Denotes active head coach |
Rank | Coach | Seasons | Teams | Team Wins |
Team Losses |
Team Ties |
Career Wins |
Career Losses |
Ties | Pct | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Wally Buono† | 1990–2002 | Calgary Stampeders | 153 | 79 | 2 | 282 | 165 | 3 | .630 | [2] |
2003–11, 2016–18 | BC Lions | 129 | 86 | 1 | |||||||
2 | Don Matthews† | 1983–1987 | BC Lions | 56 | 23 | 1 | 231 | 133 | 1 | .634 | [3] |
1990, 1996–98, 2008 | Toronto Argonauts | 49 | 31 | 0 | |||||||
1991–93 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 25 | 22 | 0 | |||||||
1994–95 | Baltimore Stallions | 27 | 9 | 0 | |||||||
1999–2000 | Edmonton Eskimos | 16 | 20 | 0 | |||||||
2002–06 | Montreal Alouettes | 58 | 28 | 0 | |||||||
3 | Frank Clair† | 1950–54 | Toronto Argonauts | 31 | 31 | 2 | 147 | 106 | 7 | .579 | [4] |
1956–69 | Ottawa Rough Riders | 116 | 75 | 5 | |||||||
4 | Ron Lancaster‡ | 1979–80 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 4 | 28 | 0 | 142 | 137 | 1 | .509 | [5] |
1991–97 | Edmonton Eskimos | 83 | 43 | 0 | |||||||
1998–2003, 2006 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 55 | 66 | 1 | |||||||
5 | Eagle Keys† | 1959–63 | Edmonton Eskimos | 38 | 40 | 2 | 131 | 107 | 8 | .549 | [6] |
1965–70 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 68 | 25 | 3 | |||||||
1971–75 | BC Lions | 25 | 42 | 3 | |||||||
6 | Ray Jauch† | 1970–76 | Edmonton Eskimos | 65 | 43 | 4 | 127 | 94 | 4 | .573 | [7] |
1978–82 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 45 | 35 | 0 | |||||||
1994–95 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 17 | 19 | 0 | |||||||
7 | Dave Ritchie† | 1993–95 | BC Lions | 31 | 22 | 1 | 108 | 76 | 3 | .586 | [8] |
1997–98 | Montreal Alouettes | 25 | 10 | 1 | |||||||
1999–2004 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 52 | 44 | 1 | |||||||
8 | Bob O'Billovich† | 1982–89, 1993–95 | Toronto Argonauts | 89 | 79 | 3 | 107 | 104 | 3 | .507 | [9] |
1990–92 | BC Lions | 18 | 25 | 0 | |||||||
9 | Mike O'Shea‡* | 2014–present | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 105 | 68 | 0 | 105 | 68 | 0 | .607 | [10] |
10 | John Hufnagel† | 2008–15 | Calgary Stampeders | 102 | 41 | 1 | 102 | 41 | 1 | .712 | [11] |
11 | Bud Grant† | 1957–66 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 102 | 56 | 2 | 102 | 56 | 2 | .644 | [12] |
12 | Cal Murphy† | 1975–76 | BC Lions | 10 | 14 | 2 | 99 | 80 | 3 | .552 | [13] |
1983–86, 1993–96 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 86 | 51 | 1 | |||||||
1999 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 3 | 15 | 0 | |||||||
13 | Tom Higgins | 2001–04 | Edmonton Eskimos | 44 | 28 | 0 | 84 | 67 | 1 | .552 | [14] |
2005–07 | Calgary Stampeders | 28 | 25 | 1 | |||||||
2014–15 | Montreal Alouettes | 12 | 14 | 0 | |||||||
14 | Jack Gotta | 1970–73 | Ottawa Rough Riders | 30 | 26 | 0 | 83 | 82 | 5 | .503 | [15] |
1977–79, 1982–83 | Calgary Stampeders | 42 | 34 | 4 | |||||||
1985–86 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 11 | 22 | 1 | |||||||
15 | Dave Dickenson‡* | 2016–present | Calgary Stampeders | 83 | 50 | 3 | 83 | 50 | 3 | .621 | [16] |
16 | George Brancato | 1974–84 | Ottawa Rough Riders | 82 | 90 | 4 | 82 | 90 | 4 | .477 | [17] |
17 | Jim Trimble | 1957–65 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 60 | 36 | 2 | 77 | 61 | 2 | .557 | [18] |
1963–65 | Montreal Alouettes | 17 | 25 | 0 | |||||||
18 | Rick Campbell* | 2014–19 | Ottawa Redblacks | 44 | 52 | 2 | 80 | 80 | 2 | .500 | [19] |
2021–present | BC Lions | 36 | 28 | 0 | |||||||
19 | Marc Trestman | 2008–12 | Montreal Alouettes | 59 | 31 | 0 | 72 | 54 | 0 | .571 | [20] |
2017–18 | Toronto Argonauts | 13 | 23 | 0 | |||||||
20 | Jerry Williams | 1965–68, 1981 | Calgary Stampeders | 41 | 26 | 1 | 71 | 55 | 2 | .563 | [21] |
1972–75 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 30 | 29 | 1 |