O’Shea repeats as coach of the year

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This article was published 16/11/2022 (672 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

REGINA – Jake Thomas has played for Mike O’Shea for eight seasons and has developed plenty of fond memories over their time together in the CFL. There are a couple instances that stand out above the rest.

The first is from January 2016, the day before Thomas’ wedding. Despite being deep into the off-season, O’Shea called to wish him good luck on his special day. Years later, when Thomas’ wife gave birth to their child, O’Shea was once again there to offer his well wishes.

“I couldn’t believe it the first time when he called me before the wedding. But then the more things he does like that, it’s very meaningful, but you’re not surprised when it comes from him,” Thomas, a defensive tackle and longest-tenured player on the Bombers, told the Free Press. “People who want to be a role model, he’s a guy you want to emulate, whether you want to be a better coach or a better person.”

Then there was the time in September when the Bombers were in Hamilton, where they had just suffered a 48-31 loss to the Tiger-Cats. The team had caught word after the game that defensive end Willie Jefferson’s wife Holly had gone into labour.

Understanding time was of the essence, O’Shea soon got to work, coming up with various ways to get Jefferson to the hospital as soon as possible, including arranging for a private car to meet him at the airport. Jefferson made it with just minutes to spare.

“His level of humanity is off the charts,” said Mike “Pinball” Clemons, a former longtime teammate in Toronto and current general manager of the Argonauts. “When people ask me who’s your favourite player, I always say I don’t have favourites. But Mike O’Shea is my favourite. He does all the things right and he’s always done it that way.”

On Thursday, O’Shea was awarded the CFL’s coach of the year for a second straight season, once again beating out Argonauts coach Ryan Dinwiddie. O’Shea led the Bombers to a league- and franchise-best record of 15-3 in 2022, and on Sunday will have the chance to earn a third consecutive Grey Cup in a game against Toronto at Mosaic Stadium.

Indeed, it’s been incredible run for O’Shea, who although he enjoys doing things for others, hates nothing more than being in the spotlight. In fact, if it were up to him, there would be no awards ceremony and if there had to be, it certainly wouldn’t be during Grey Cup week.

When it comes to O’Shea, there’s much more than grand gestures. Since joining the Bombers in 2014, the native of North Bay, Ont., has not only developed a winning team, but also a culture that is second to none in the CFL and one built on accountability and respect, empathy and compassion.

“He’s humble. The guy just oozes integrity,” said Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros. “Guys will often say let’s win for this guy or that guy, but you really feel that way with him. And he’s not asking for it. He just wants to be part of the team.”

What impresses Adam Bighill most about O’Shea is his attention to detail. Few, if any, players in the CFL possess the kind of work ethic to that of Bighill, so his words carry extra weight.

Whether it’s determining what time to start a practice session or where to eat or how to conduct meetings, Bighill said O’Shea will have gone through several different factors before reaching a final decision. And Every decision he makes, Bighill added, has the sole focus of benefitting the team.

“Sometimes it’s the smallest of details that people might not even think about,” Bighill said. “He also understands how important family is and that’s been paramount in our building, making sure family is No. 1.”

Richie Hall has seen a lot over his nearly 30-year coaching career, and while he’s formed bonds with fellow coaches and players, few have left the kind of impression that O’Shea has.

Before Hall was hired as the Bombers defensive co-ordinator in 2014, he and O’Shea were simply acquaintances, crossing paths maybe once or twice a year. Hall’s knowledge of O’Shea was limited to what he saw on the field, as a feisty linebacker who delivered crushing hits over his Hall of Fame career.

After spending the last six seasons as part of O’Shea’s staff, Hall cherishes a much deeper connection. O’Shea, he said, is now like a brother.

“You join a team and, yeah, you’re going to get along and relationships are going to grow, but never did I think it would to the extent it has,” Hall said. “It just means the world to me to have the opportunity to be around him.”

Much like his disdain for being the centre of attention, O’Shea is equally as displeased with having to talk about himself. When asked where he gets his perspective from, and why he preaches gratitude and empathy to his players, O’Shea stares at the floor for a moment, allowing the thoughts to gather in his head.

“Without gratitude, life can be pretty sh—-y,” O’Shea said. “The more gratitude you have, the less it feels like that. When it comes to the players, in this particular arena, I’ve had the good fortune of sitting in their seat, so I have an understanding of where they’re coming from.”

As for his obsession for the small details, he’s unclear why he finds them so important, but it’s something he’s always had an eye for. He’s the kind of person who points out an error in a movie, such as a clock showing a different time from one scene to the next.

“It can be a blessing and a curse,” he said with a chuckle.

O’Shea said when he first got into coaching after his 16-year playing career, beginning as the Argonauts special-teams co-ordinator, he never once thought about being a head coach. It wasn’t until he started getting calls for interviews and there was clear interest from teams that he was convinced this was something he could do.

As for picking Winnipeg, O’Shea said what attracted him to the Bombers was a shared vision between him, president and CEO Wade Miller and general manager Kyle Walters. Fast-forward eight seasons, 67 wins and two Grey Cups and O’Shea has carved out his spot among the league’s best coaches.

“Having never coached before, you don’t really know, honestly, whether you can do it or not or be successful or what you believe about being in that position is really going to work. You think it’s going to work but you never really know until you try,” O’Shea said. “If you share a vision with your bosses, then it’s going to be easier to get done what you all want to get done.”

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton