The story you're about to read is true. The names have not been changed to protect the guilty.
In the late 1980s, back when the Montreal Alouettes were in their death throes, general manager Norm Kimball told two of the team's assistant coaches they had no future in the game. Those coaches were Wally Buono and Dave Ritchie.
The same Wally Buono who won three Grey Cups during his years with the Calgary Stampeders and the same Dave Ritchie who led the B.C. Lions to a Canadian Football League championship in 1994.
Good call, Norm.
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Buono and Ritchie are not only back in the big game, they're in it together for the first time in their CFL careers, with Buono as the Lions' head coach and Ritchie as B.C.'s defensive coordinator.
Buono was quick to hire his good friend two years ago after Ritchie was dumped by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Back then, it was suggested rather loudly that Ritchie, a veteran of more than 40 years in the business, was losing it and that the game had passed him by.
Buono scoffed at such comments then and he scoffs at them now.
"Dave does a good job handling the players. He knows how to get their emotions going," said Buono. "Coaching is dealing with people and Dave has a way about him that the players respond to."
Ritchie said this in response: "Look at him. (Buono) has the most wins in the world. He's a great coach; great to work with."
Under Ritchie, the Lions defence recorded the most quarterback sacks and interceptions in the CFL this season. With Buono at the helm, B.C. posted the league's best record, 13-5, and is favoured to beat the Montreal Alouettes in Sunday's Grey Cup game.
As a tandem, Buono and Ritchie are tough to top considering their track record and experience. They're also traveling buddies and vacation together with their wives every December in Hawaii. They even went in 2001 less than a month after Buono's Stampeders beat Ritchie's Blue Bombers in the Grey Cup.
"(That game) was three hours long then it was over and done with," said Buono.
"We don't talk a lot about football (while on vacation)," said Ritchie. "But we do now."
And as soon as Sunday's game is over, the two will return to Vancouver, take care of some paper work then fly off to Hawaii once again. Not bad for a couple of guys who were told they didn't have a future in the game.
