Former Montreal Alouette, Bishop's football coach Bruce Coulter dies at 90
Longtime Gaiters coach was winningest coach in Canadian university football
Former Montreal Alouettes player and university coach Bruce Coulter died Tuesday at the age of 90.
He is remembered for his 10 stellar seasons on the field with the Montreal Alouettes as a defensive back and backup quarterback and his 29 seasons coaching the Bishop's University Gaiters.
Coulter's professional career began in 1948. He helped the Alouettes win their first-ever Grey Cup the following season.
The team would win three more Grey Cup games with Coulter on the team.
Born in Toronto in 1927, Coulter went on to coach at the Canadian university level.
He joined the McGill University Redmen in 1958, leading them to win a league and national title in 1960.
In 1962, he joined the Bishop's University Gaiters, where he would stay for the next 29 seasons. He was the winningest coach in Canadian university football, the Alouettes said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
At the 1986 Vanier Cup matchup, Coulter told CBC News he just doesn't get tired of coaching the Gaiters.
"It's very, very exhilarating and exciting to be part of a winning team," he said, adding that Bishop's was extremely supportive of him and the team.
"There's nothing I would have done differently. I feel very fortunate to be here," Coulter said.
In 1991, when Coulter retired, the Gaiters renamed their field after him, and the Vanier Cup also has an award named after him.
He was inducted into the builders' category of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1997.
'All our thoughts are with the Coulter family'
"The Alouettes have lost a family member and all of our thoughts are with the Coulter family during these difficult times," the Alouettes president and CEO, Patrick Boivin, said in a statement.
Michael Goldbloom, the president of Bishop's University, also expressed his condolences.
"Even during the final years of his life when he faced some significant health challenges, Bruce and Joyce attended virtually every Gaiters home football and basketball game and he remained the positive and optimistic person he had been all his life," Goldbloom said.
Other university football teams in Quebec and former players took to Twitter to remark on Coulter's life and to express their condolences.
L’organisation des <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Carabins?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Carabins</a> offre ses condoléances aux proches de Bruce Coulter et à la grande famille des <a href="https://twitter.com/BishopsGaiters?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BishopsGaiters</a>. <br>Le football universitaire québécois ne serait pas ce qu’il est aujourd’hui sans l’immense contribution de ce bâtisseur. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FootRSEQ?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FootRSEQ</a>
—@CarabinsLe programme <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/rougeetor?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#rougeetor</a> souhaite offrir ses plus sincères condoléances aux proches de Bruce Coulter ainsi qu'à toute la grande famille des <a href="https://twitter.com/BishopsGaiters?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BishopsGaiters</a>. Un grand bâtisseur du 🏈 universitaire s'est éteint. Our thoughts are with you.
—@rougeetorIt was my privilege to play four great seasons under legendary Bishop’s U coach, Bruce Coulter. He was much more than a coach to his players, inspiring us to be accountable and responsible young men...and to enjoy life and friends. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPBruce?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RIPBruce</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BishopsGaiters?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BishopsGaiters</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/UBishops?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UBishops</a>
—@Tim__SaundersThe Montreal Alouettes will hold a moment of silence in honour of Coulter before their game Saturday.
With files from Douglas Gelevan