Blue Bombers re-sign head coach Mike O'Shea to new 3-year contract
General manager Kyle Walters also has contract extended through 2023 season
The Grey Cup champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers have locked up their head coach and general manager with contract extensions.
The team announced Friday that Mike O'Shea, who was named the 30th head coach in franchise history in December 2013, is now on board through 2022. His contract was set to expire.
As well, general manager Kyle Walters, who had one year remaining on his contract, has been extended through the 2023 season.
The two men have played pivotal roles not only in building the 2019 championship team — which defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 33-12 to end a 29-year Grey Cup drought in Winnipeg — but in helping establish a foundation for a franchise that has posted four consecutive double-digit-win seasons, says a news release from the team.
"We're thrilled to have Kyle and Mike remain at the helm of our football team for the next few seasons," said Bombers president and CEO Wade Miller.
"Continuity in our football operations department is critical as Kyle and Mike continue to build a strong culture in and around our locker room."
We're bringing the shorts, the beards, and the Canadian Mafia back! <br><br>Head Coach Mike O'Shea and General Manager Kyle Walters have both signed contract extensions to remain with the club! <br><br>📝 <a href="https://t.co/NWqIrrGplL">https://t.co/NWqIrrGplL</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForTheW?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForTheW</a> <a href="https://t.co/X1ISt18DOQ">pic.twitter.com/X1ISt18DOQ</a>
—@Wpg_BlueBombersOver the past four seasons, the Blue Bombers have posted a 44-28 record with four consecutive playoff appearances and now a Grey Cup title. The last time the franchise previously boasted four consecutive double-digit win seasons was from 1984 to 1987.
The Bombers recently lost offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice, who was with the team for the past four seasons. He was introduced on Monday as the new head coach of the Ottawa Redblacks.
Walters was named the Bombers GM in November 2013 after previously working with the club as an assistant general manager and an assistant coach.
His success at the CFL draft, combined with shrewd trades and signings in free agency, helped turn the Bombers into champions, the team's news release says.
This year's championship gave him his second Grey Cup ring, after winning as a player with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1999.
O'Shea is a five-time Grey Cup champion — winning three times as a player with the Toronto Argonauts (1996, 1997 and 2004), once as a special teams co-ordinator with the Argos (2012) and as the Bombers head coach in 2019.