WINNIPEG 鈥� Wade Miller knew he was talking to a winner when he first interviewed Mike O鈥橲hea in 2013.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers president and chief executive officer told the story at a press conference Friday, where he and O鈥橲hea talked about the three-year contract extension the head coach had recently signed through the 2025 season.
That first interview took place with Blue Bombers general manager Kyle Walters in the Toronto airport, a city where O鈥橲hea had been the Argonauts鈥� special teams co-ordinator for four seasons.
鈥淲e opened the door for the interview and he said, 鈥楽hould we put on some (football) face masks for this meeting?鈥欌�� Miller said of O鈥橲hea. 鈥淎nd then it started from there.
鈥淭he three of us had a very good conversation. Within the first 15 minutes you knew. You knew this was the person that was going to come and be the leader of this team for a long time. That was very evident, very quickly.
鈥淗e didn鈥檛 show up with some PowerPoint presentation and talk about leadership. He is a leader. So, that鈥檚 where it started.鈥澛�
A former star linebacker, O鈥橲hea was named to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2017 after a 16-year playing career with Toronto and Hamilton that saw him earn three Grey Cup rings. He also won the league鈥檚 top rookie award in 1993, was the most outstanding Canadian in 1999 and a five-time division all-star.聽
The Blue Bombers are 82-58 in eight seasons under O鈥橲hea, with Grey Cup championships in 2019 and 2021. The team鈥檚 quest for a three-peat was nixed when it lost 24-23 to the underdog Argonauts (11-7) in last month鈥檚 title match.
The 52-year-old won his second consecutive Annis Stukus Trophy as the CFL鈥檚 top coach this year after leading the Bombers to a club-record 15 regular-season wins.
He was asked why he didn鈥檛 seek a new challenge elsewhere.
鈥淚 don't think we're done yet,鈥� O鈥橲hea replied. 鈥淚 think that the group that we have here, now there's always additions and subtractions every single year, it's pro sport, but the group we've assembled, the group that's all thinking the same way, believe that we've got a lot of legs left in this so it would be fun to be a part of.鈥澛�
It was the fourth three-year contract the North Bay, Ont., native has signed with the club since he was hired on Dec. 4, 2013.
His contract gives him the opportunity to become the franchise鈥檚 all-time leader in career coaching wins, surpassing Bud Grant (102) and Cal Murphy (86).
He said that hasn鈥檛 crossed his mind for one second.
鈥淭here鈥檚 guys that spend their careers worrying about their legacy,鈥� O鈥橲hea said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 ass-backwards. You work hard every day and then somewhere down the road somebody else tells you what that is.鈥�
O鈥橲hea is the league鈥檚 longest-serving head coach, but said that鈥檚 鈥渏ust a number.鈥� He attributed his longevity to Walters and Miller鈥檚 belief in the value of continuity.
鈥淵ou're surrounded by good people,鈥� O鈥橲hea said. 鈥淚'm fortunate enough to survive the first couple years.鈥�
O鈥橲hea鈥檚 teams went 7-11 in 2014 and 5-13 the following year, but have since posted six seasons with double-digit victories that matches a franchise-best stretch from 1957-62.
Since the season ended, he was approached by fans telling him they wanted him to continue at the helm.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not hard to sense that,鈥� O鈥橲hea said. 鈥淛ust being out and about on a more regular basis, just doing regular stuff that dads and husbands and everybody else does, you hear it a lot when you鈥檙e out.
鈥淪o it鈥檚 all very appreciated, it really is.鈥�
Quarterback Zach Collaros is also signed through the 2025 season, a year the Bombers want to host the Grey Cup.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to submit our bid for that,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淲e came up short in 2024 and it鈥檚 going to be a great game in B.C. We鈥檒l work hard to get that game here for 2025.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2022.
The Canadian Press
