Doug Berry (Canadian football)

Last updated

Doug Berry
Born: (1948-07-17) July 17, 1948 (age 76)
Claremont, New Hampshire, U.S.
Career history
As coach
1976 New Hampshire (Asst.)
1978 Penn State (Asst.)
1979–1980 Boston College (Asst.)
1981–1997 UMass (Asst.)
1998 Richmond (Asst.)
1999–2005 Montreal Alouettes (Asst.)
2006–2008 Winnipeg Blue Bombers (HC)
2010–2011 Saskatchewan Roughriders (Asst. HC/OC)
2013 Montreal Alouettes (Senior advisor)
2013 Montreal Alouettes (OC)

Doug Berry (born July 17, 1948) is an American Canadian football coach who was most recently the senior advisor to Jim Popp, the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Previously, he has served as the offensive coordinator of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Contents

Early years

Berry was born in Claremont, New Hampshire and graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1973 with a degree in Recreation and Parks Administration. He did two years of active duty in the United States Army after being drafted in 1968. Berry spent a year and a half working in Germany as an army sergeant. After his military discharge, he became a sales manager in a small business selling stereo equipment until deciding in 1976 that he wanted to become an American football coach.

College coaching career

Berry began his coaching career in 1976 at the University of New Hampshire, his alma mater, before working with Penn State's offensive line in 1978. [1] During his first year at PSU, the team played in the National Collegiate Athletic Association national championship game.

He then spent two years coaching Boston College's offensive line before moving on to his 17-year stay at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. [2] He was an assistant with the UMass Minutemen football team from 1981 to 1997, coaching running backs, quarterbacks, and the offensive line over his tenure.

Berry coached the running backs at the University of Richmond in Virginia in 1998. Berry spent only one year at Richmond before moving to Montreal, Quebec, Canada to join the Alouettes in the Canadian Football League (CFL).

CFL coaching career

In 1999, Berry began with the Montreal Alouettes as their offensive line coach. [3] During this time Montreal had three players named as the CFL's Most Outstanding Lineman, Uzooma Okeke in 1999, Pierre Vercheval in 2000, and Bryan Chiu in 2002. His O-line helped star running back Mike Pringle win the CFL's rushing title in 1999 and 2000. The Alouettes won the Grey Cup in 2002. [4]

Berry was promoted to co-offensive co-ordinator (with Kevin Strasser) and quarterbacks coach in 2003. In 2003, quarterback Anthony Calvillo posted a career-high 5,891 passing yards and 37 touchdowns. Calvillo set more personal bests the following year with 6,041 passing yards and added 5,556 yards to his career total. Calvillo led the league in passing yards for both the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

On December 15, 2005, Berry signed a multi-year contract to become the 26th head coach in Winnipeg Blue Bombers history. After guiding the team to a 9–9 record in the 2006 CFL season, he took the Bombers to their first playoff game since 2003, but ended up losing to the Toronto Argonauts in the East Division semi-final. [5]

After the 2006 season he was nominated for Coach of the Year, but lost to Wally Buono of the BC Lions.

During the 2007 campaign, Berry's Bombers got off to a hot start, but struggled against division opponents in the closing weeks. As a result, the team finished one point behind the Toronto Argonauts in the East Division, despite leading in the division for much of the year, and did not earn a first round bye. However, the Blue Bombers won each of their first two playoff matchups, and earned a spot in the 95th Grey Cup. The team failed to capture the 2007 title, losing to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The 2008 CFL season saw the Blue Bombers finish with an 8 wins, 10 losses season and a loss to the Edmonton Eskimos in the East semi-final playoff game. Berry was fired shortly after, on November 12, 2008. [6]

Berry spent the 2010 season as the offensive coordinator for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but was fired after the eighth game of the 2011 season on August 19, 2011. [7]

On February 19, 2013, Berry was introduced as the senior advisor to the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes at a news conference in Montreal. [5] Following the firing of Dan Hawkins after a 2–3 start to the season, Berry was promoted to run the offense in July 2013. [8] [9] Berry was dismissed by Jim Popp in November 2013 after Popp became the general manager and interim head coach of the Montreal Alouettes. [10]

Personal life

Berry and his wife live in Florida. They have two daughters, Jessica and Kasey. [11]

Head coaching record

TeamYearRegular SeasonPost Season
WonLostTiesWin %FinishWonLostResult
WPG 2006 990.5003rd in East Division01Lost in Division Semi-finals
WPG 2007 1071.5832nd in East Division21Lost in Grey Cup
WPG 2008 8100.4442nd in East Division01Lost In Division Semi-Finals
Total27261.5090 East Division
Championships		230 Grey Cups

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montreal Alouettes</span> Canadian football team

The Montreal Alouettes are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and are the current Grey Cup champions, defeating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 110th Grey Cup Game in 2023. Their home field is Percival Molson Memorial Stadium for the regular season and as of 2014 also home of their playoff games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Calvillo</span> Canadian-American football player and instructor

Anthony Calvillo is an American coach and retired player of Canadian football. He is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and a former professional Canadian football quarterback. He was professional football's all-time passing yards leader from 2011 to 2020, and is first in all-time CFL passing yards. In his career, he passed for 79,816 yards and is one of ten professional quarterbacks to have completed over 400 touchdown passes. His passing-yards reign ended in 2020 when Brees surpassed his record.

The 2004 CFL season is considered to be the 51st season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 47th Canadian Football League season.

The 2003 CFL season is considered to be the 50th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 46th Canadian Football League season. The pre-season began on May 30, 2003 and the regular season started on June 17, 2003. Taylor Field in Regina, Saskatchewan hosted the 91st Grey Cup on November 16, with the Edmonton Eskimos defeating the Montreal Alouettes 34–22.

The 2002 CFL season is considered to be the 49th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 45th Canadian Football League season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nealon Greene</span> American gridiron football player (born 1976)

Nealon Greene is a retired American-born Canadian football quarterback who was active for nine seasons in the CFL. He played college football at Clemson University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Glenn</span> American gridiron football player (born 1979)

Kevin Glenn, Jr. is a former American professional Canadian football quarterback. He was originally signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He played college football for the Illinois State Redbirds and high school football at Detroit St. Martin de Porres. Glenn is a journeyman quarterback who is the only player to ever have had his rights held by every team in the CFL.

The 2007 CFL season was the 54th season of modern-day Canadian football, the 50th season of the Canadian Football League, and many special events were held to commemorate the event. Regular-season play began on June 28, 2007, at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario and concluded on Saturday, November 3, 2007. The playoffs began on Sunday, November 11, 2007, and ended with the championship game, the 95th Grey Cup, at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, on November 25, 2007, with the Saskatchewan Roughriders as champions.

The 2006 CFL season is considered to be the 53rd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 49th Canadian Football League season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khari Jones</span> American gridiron football player and coach (born 1971)

Khari Okang Jones is a former professional Canadian football player and was most recently the offensive coordinator and assistant head coach for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was formerly the head coach for the Montreal Alouettes. He is also a former television sports reporter for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Jones played quarterback in the CFL, where he enjoyed his most success with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Jones also played briefly for the Arena Football League's Albany Firebirds and the World League of American Football's Scottish Claymores. He has also been the offensive coordinator for the BC Lions and Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The 2008 CFL season was the 55th season of modern-day Canadian football, the 51st season for the Canadian Football League. It was also the first CFL season in which all of the league's regular season and post-season games, including the Grey Cup game, were aired on TSN. This meant the CFL was no longer aired on broadcast television in Canada. As of 2008, TSN was available in approximately 8.8 million of Canada's 13 million households. Montreal hosted the 96th Grey Cup at Olympic Stadium on November 23, when the championship was won by the Calgary Stampeders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darian Durant</span> American gridiron football player (born 1982)

Darian Bernard Durant is a former professional Canadian football quarterback. He played college football at the University of North Carolina. By the end of his college career, he held school records for completion percentage, touchdowns, passing yards, total offense and completions. Durant was signed as a free agent by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2006, and became the club's full-time starting quarterback in 2009. He was named a CFL West Division All-Star in 2009 and 2013. Durant was the starting quarterback when the Saskatchewan Roughriders won the 101st Grey Cup in 2013 on their home field. Durant also played for the Montreal Alouettes in 2017. His brother Justin played in the National Football League as a linebacker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Dinwiddie</span> American gridiron football player and coach (born 1980)

Ryan Dinwiddie is the head coach of the Toronto Argonauts and is a former professional Canadian football quarterback. After playing college football at Boise State University, he went undrafted and signed with the Chicago Bears, however he was cut from their training camp. Dinwiddie later went on to play professionally for the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europe, and also played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacques Chapdelaine</span> Canadian football coach and former professional slotback

Jacques Chapdelaine is a Canadian football coach and former professional slotback in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He most recently served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. He has also served as the offensive coordinator for four other CFL teams, the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes (2016-17), and the head coach for two Canadian university football teams. He has won three Grey Cup championships as an assistant coach and one Vanier Cup as the head coach of the Laval Rouge et Or. He played collegiately for the Simon Fraser Clan as a wide receiver and played between 1983 and 1989 for four different CFL teams.

The 2009 CFL season was the 56th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 52nd season of the Canadian Football League. The Montreal Alouettes won the 97th Grey Cup on November 29 with a last second 28–27 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The 19-week regular schedule, issued February 3, 2009, began on July 1, which was only the second time in league history that a CFL season started on Canada Day, with the first occurring in 1998. The playoffs started on November 15 and two weeks of pre-season games began on June 17.

The 2010 CFL season is the 57th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it is the 53rd Canadian Football League season. Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton hosted the 98th Grey Cup on November 28 when the Montreal Alouettes became the first team to repeat as Grey Cup Champions in 13 years, defeating the Saskatchewan Roughriders, 21–18. The league announced on its Twitter page on January 29, 2010, that the season would start on July 1, 2010. As of 2021 this is the most recent CFL regular season to start in July.

The 2011 CFL season was the 58th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 54th season of the Canadian Football League. The complete schedule was released on February 18 and featured the defending Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes opening the season against the visiting BC Lions on Thursday, June 30, 2011. The season was among the most notable in the modern era for the competitiveness of the teams; going into the final week, five teams were tied for first place in the league, a first in modern CFL history. It was also the first time since 1982 that all teams finished with fewer than 12 wins in the regular season. As well, for the first time since 1950, the start of the modern era, all four teams competing in the division finals were different from the four teams that had competed in the division finals the previous year. Newly renovated BC Place Stadium in Vancouver hosted the 99th Grey Cup on November 27, with the hometown Lions defeating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 34–23 in front of a sold-out crowd.

The 2012 CFL season was the 59th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 55th season for the Canadian Football League. The pre-season began on June 13, 2012, and the regular season started on June 29, 2012. Rogers Centre in Toronto hosted the 100th Grey Cup on November 25, with the hometown Toronto Argonauts defeating the Calgary Stampeders 35-22.

The 2013 CFL season was the 60th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 56th season of the Canadian Football League.

The 2017 CFL season was the 64th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 60th season of the Canadian Football League. The regular season began on June 22 and concluded on November 4. The playoffs commenced on November 12 and concluded on November 26 with the Toronto Argonauts defeating the Calgary Stampeders to win the 105th Grey Cup.

References

  1. ↑ "Doug Berry". Montreal Alouettes. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Meet the New Football Coaches". Boston College. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  3. ↑ "'What's the big deal?' Doug Berry says about not returning to Alouettes". Montreal Gazette. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Catching up with Rider coach Doug Berry". cfl.ca. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Dan Hawkins named head coach". The Official Site of the Montreal Alouettes. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Blue Bombers fire head coach Doug Berry". the star.com. November 12, 2008. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Riders fire Marshall and Berry, Miller to take over". Canadian Football League. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Montreal Alouettes fire head coach Dan Hawkins". the star.com football. August 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Statement on Coaching Staff". The Official Site of the Montreal Alouettes. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Report:Alouettes dismiss offensive coaches Miller, Berry". TSN. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Profile - Coach Doug Berry". Roughriders. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.