Bisons football coach Brian Dobie to retire at season’s end

After 28 illustrious seasons at the helm of his alma mater, the Manitoba Bisons, Brian Dobie announced early this week that this season would be his last patrolling the sidelines, which as you can imagine caused for a rather emotional start to training camp.

“I don’t want to get choked up here but this will be the last team I ever coach, and lucky me cause it is an awesome group of guys,” said Dobie.

“Why would I want to leave this complex, this group of players, any group of players I’ve got an unbelievably awesome job, I do not want to leave but I want to retire.”

After being passed over for his dream job twice before, the third time was the charm for Dobie, as in 1996, the long-time high school coach took over a struggling Bisons team, fresh off a disastrous 0-8 season. And well, the turnaround didn’t come overnight, as the Bisons won just three times over Dobbie’s first three seasons.

“Even at 3 and 21 they continued with me and gave me a little more life and we took off from there.”

Indeed they did, over the next 25 years Dobie guided the Bisons to three Canada West Conference Championships, two Vanier Cup appearances, and of course the national title in 2007. The program’s first in 37 years, and the moment Dobbie realized the Bisons had arrived on the national stage.

“They represented every team before them, and unknowingly they represented everyone that followed them because as we continued to recruit we were wearing big juicy rings, and that never goes away, and made a statement in the nation and that never goes away.”

But now, having won everything there is to win, it’s time to dedicate the next chapter to his daughter Caleigh, and the love of his life, his wife Jackie.

“A coach’s life, and a coach’s family, it’s crazy. Your partner is always waiting for you, always it never ends they are always waiting for you, that girl has been waiting for me for 50 years,” said Dobie.

Well Jackie, the wait is nearly over, but hopefully not before one final magical season.