Donald J. Matthews, a.k.a. "the Don", (June 22, 1939 – June 14, 2017) was a head coach of several professional football teams, mostly in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He won 231 games in the CFL, the second highest win total by a head coach in the league's history while the first and so far only coach to lead four teams to Grey Cup victories. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in September 2011.
Matthews was born in Amesbury, Massachusetts, the son of Canadian-born parents, Ida (Babin), from Tracadie, New Brunswick, and Fred Matthews, a steel mill worker from Prince Edward Island. From a large family of limited means and education, he quit high school in Amesbury after his senior season of football in 1956 and served three years in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Matthews returned home and earned his high school diploma and then on the advice of a teacher, ventured west in 1960 as a 21-year-old freshman to Moscow, Idaho. He walked-on at Idaho as a linebacker on the freshman team; he was awarded a scholarship by varsity head coach Skip Stahley after his first semester. He earned three letters and was a team captain in his senior season of 1963, when the Vandals, in their second year under Dee Andros, achieved their first winning season in a quarter century. Matthews graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in education in 1964.
Matthews was a graduate assistant for the Vandals in Moscow for the 1964 season under Andros and freshman coach Bud Riley. Matthews then coached high school football in Nevada at Ely for four years and won a state title. He relocated to Eastern Washington at Spokane in 1969 as head coach at Ferris, where he led the Saxons to the city title in his second and final year.
Matthews became a collegiate assistant coach back at his alma mater in 1971 as offensive line coach (later as offensive coordinator), under second-year head coach Don Robbins. After an 0–2 start, the Vandals finished at 8–3, which included an eight-game winning streak, and won the Big Sky title. At the time it was the best record in school history, and three seniors were selected in the 1972 NFL draft. Two years later, Robbins was fired following the 1973 season and Matthews moved to the Portland area. He took over a winless program at Sunset High School in Beaverton and won consecutive state championships in 1975 and 1976, going undefeated in his third and final year. He left Sunset after the 1976 season to become a CFL assistant coach in Edmonton, Alberta.
Edmonton Eskimos (first stint)
In 1977, Edmonton Eskimos Head Coach, Hugh Campbell, hired Matthews for his first professional football coaching job. Matthews worked with the team's linebackers that year.
In 1978, Campbell promoted Matthews to defensive coordinator.
From 1977 to 1982, Edmonton went to 6 consecutive Grey Cups and won the final 5 in a row. During this time, 3 Edmonton defensive players won the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award: Danny Kepley in 1977, 1980, and 1981, Dave "Dr. Death" Fennell in 1978, and James "Quick" Parker in 1982.
In 1983, Matthews was hired as the head coach of the BC Lions by general manager Bob Ackles. That year, the Lions started playing games at BC Place Stadium. In their first home game of the season, against Saskatchewan, Matthews called for an onside kick on the opening kickoff, and BC recovered. BC finished first in the West, and defeated Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the West Final, which qualified the Lions to play in the Grey Cup in their home stadium. Unfortunately for them, they lost the Grey Cup to the Toronto Argonauts.
In 1984, BC finished first in the West once again. James "Quick" Parker won the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award. BC lost the West Final to the eventual champions, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
In 1985, BC finished with a league-best 13–3 record. Matthews won his first Coach of the Year Award and Mervyn Fernandez won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award. BC defeated the Blue Bombers in the West Final, and won their first Grey Cup since 1964.
In 1986, BC finished second in the West Division. Parker once again won the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award. BC met Winnipeg in the playoffs at BC Place for the fourth consecutive season, this time in the West Semi-Final. BC defeated Winnipeg, but lost to the first place Edmonton Eskimos in the West Final.
In 1987, Matthews started the season as BC's head coach, but was fired during the season and replaced by Larry Donovan.
Edmonton Eskimos (second stint)
Matthews became a defensive assistant coach with Edmonton in 1989. The Eskimos finished a league-record 16–2. Eight of Edmonton's defensive players were named West Division All-Stars, of whom five were CFL All-Stars. Danny Bass won the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award. Edmonton was defeated by Saskatchewan in the West Final.
Toronto Argonauts (first stint)
In 1990, Matthews was hired by the Toronto Argonauts to be their head coach. He guided the team to second place in the East Division. Mike "Pinball" Clemons won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award. The Argonauts lost 20–17 in the East Final to the eventual Grey Cup champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers.