Wally's goodbye: Buono will leave a coaching legacy after his final home game

After 25 seasons as head coach, 24 as a general manager, and 10 more before all that as a player, the B.C. Lions' Wally Buono will coach his last home game on Saturday. 

Already easily the winningest coach in CFL history with 273 victories, Buono will retire sometime this month, when his Lions either win the Grey Cup or fall short in playoff defeat. 

When the moment comes, he'll walk away with not only that record, but also five Grey Cup wins and 13 first-place finishes, both the most of any head coach in Canadian football.

Despite all that, he usually doesn't seek the spotlight he'll be in this weekend.

"I really do appreciate what the club has done, but at the end of it, that's not who I am. [It's not that] I'm not appreciative. I'm not comfortable in that role," said Buono ahead of his final home game. 

WATCH: B.C. Lions' Head Coach Wally Buono chats with CBC Vancouver host Dan Burritt ahead of final game

Wally Buono reflects on legendary career

6 years ago

Duration 3:50

Legendary CFL coach Wally Buono speaks on coaching his final game in Vancouver, being a father figure to his players and the future of football in Canada.

 Buono says he needs time to absorb what leaving the game will mean to his life.

"I've come to the conclusion that in May we should have another press conference and then you ask how I really feel."  

 Buono leaves a legacy with players and coaches throughout the professional football world. 

Player impact

Former CFL and NFL quarterback Doug Flutie remembers Buono's reputation as coach of the Calgary Stampeders. 

"All I knew was that every time I played Calgary their defence was tough. It was always like pulling teeth to move the football," said Flutie. 

A stingy defence became a hallmark of Buono-coached teams, as did his attention to detail. 

"Right away, from an organizational standpoint, from a discipline standpoint it was different," remembers Flutie upon signing with Buono's Stampeders in 1992. 

The pair won the Grey Cup that season in what would be the first of a four-year run that would see Calgary record 64 wins against just 17 defeats. 

"Wally put me in a position to be successful," said Flutie. "The longevity, the consistency of winning, it doesn't just happen. He had his hands on everything."

Flutie was one of a series of quarterbacks to blossom under Buono, who developed a reputation as a QB-whisperer despite his defence-first approach. 

After Flutie, Jeff Garcia and Dave Dickenson followed in Calgary as did Travis Lulay when Buono headed west to B.C.

"He knows talent and he brought them in."

Growing coaching tree

Nowhere is Buono's legacy more apparent than on the sidelines, where he guided many former players and colleagues into the coaching ranks. 

"He always wants guys on his staff who aspire to be head coaches," said Danny Barrett, Buono's quarterback in Calgary for two season. 

"He hired guys who have a great feel for the game, but also have a great feel for people and knew how to turn around attitudes."

Barrett, now the running backs coach for the National Football League's Houston Texans, got his start as Buono's quarterback coach. Three years later, he was hired as head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. 

Other familiar names on the Buono coaching tree include current Stampeders president John Hufnagel, former Lions head coach Mike Benevides, and present Lions offensive coordinator Jarious Jackson among others. 

As Buono prepares to step aside, former players like Barrett say they'll remember those connections more than the on-field success. 

"Getting that first opportunity — you never know where it's going to come from," said Barrett. "I'm still going today because of that so I'm really appreciative of that and thankful for that opportunity."