Legendary coach Bud Grant going into Bombers Ring of Honour
Still holds CFL record for interceptions in a playoff game — 5
He already has eight championship rings and now legendary football coach Bud Grant is being added to one himself.
Grant will become the seventh inductee into the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' Ring of Honour. A ceremony will be held during halftime at the Bombers' next home game on Friday against the Edmonton Eskimos.
Grant, who started his playing career in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles, came to the Bombers as a player in 1953 and played for four seasons. He was named a West Division All-Star three times and set the CFL record for most interceptions in a playoff game with five — a record that still stands.
Grant then traded in his cleats for a clipboard, becoming the team's head coach — and the youngest head coach in CFL history — at age 29.
Under his guidance, the Bombers appeared in six Grey Cup championship games from 1957-66, winning four (1958, 1959, 1961 and 1962). Grant racked up 102 regular season wins — still tops on the Bombers' all-time list — and was named the CFL's top coach in 1965.
A statue in his honour was unveiled at Investors Group Field, the Bombers' home stadium, in October 2014.
"I enjoyed playing so much. I enjoyed Winnipeg so much. I enjoyed my teammates so much. I enjoyed the atmosphere around the Bombers, Canadian football … everything — the town, the people. It wasn't only the football, it was the whole experience," Grant is quoted saying in a news release from the Blue Bombers about the Ring of Honour nod.
He was lured back to the NFL to become head coach of the expansion Minnesota Vikings, holding that position from 1967–83 and again in 1985, leading them to four NFC championships.
He is the third most successful professional football coach in history with 290 wins in the NFL and CFL combined.
Interestingly, Grant's first sport was basketball. He was drafted to the NBA in 1950, the same year he was drafted by the NFL's Eagles. He chose basketball and and was a member of the 1950 NBA championship Minneapolis Lakers.
After two seasons on the hardcourt, he decided to switch to football and contacted the Eagles, who welcomed him to the gridiron.
"Bud Grant is not only a legend around these parts, but a legend in Minnesota and across both the CFL and NFL as well," said Bombers president and CEO Wade Miller. "He is the first coach in history to appear in both the Grey Cup and Super Bowl. His accomplishments are truly incredible, and we couldn't be happier to add his name to the Ring of Honour."
The ring's other inductees this season include:
- Chris Walby
- Ken Ploen
- Gerry James
- Milt Stegall
- Dieter Brock
- Leo Lewis
The Bombers are adding one inductee at each regular season home game this season. Each following year, one alumnus per season will be added.