JOHN HUFNAGEL
Head Coach/General Manager
CFL: 11th season
Stamps: 10th season
John Hufnagel returned to the Calgary Stampeders on Dec. 3, 2007, when he was introduced as head coach/general manager.
In his first two seasons as a CFL head coach, Hufnagel has compiled a 23-12-1 record and a 3-1 mark in the post-season, including a victory in the 2008 Grey Cup. The 23 victories represent the largest two-season total by a Stampeder clubs since a team led by Wally Buono, Hufnagel’s mentor, recorded 24 wins in 1999 and 2000.
Calgary posted a 10-7-1 record in 2009, which was tied for the best mark in the West Division. The Stamps were second in the CFL with 514 points scored and Calgary’s 443 points allowed were 41 fewer than the next-stingiest West Division team. The Stamps defeated the Edmonton Eskimos in the West semifinal, which gave the franchise playoff wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1998-99.
In his first season, Hufnagel led the Stamps to the sixth Grey Cup title in franchise history with a 22-14 win over the Alouettes in Montreal. He guided the Stamps to a 13-5 regular-season record and a first-place finish in the West Division before defeating the BC Lions in the West Final. After posting a 5-4 record through the first half of the season, the Stamps won 10 of their last 11 games, including the last six in a row. In doing so, the Stamps earned their first West Division title since 2000, won their first playoff game since 2001 and their first Grey Cup since 2001.
For his work in 2008, Hufnagel became the fifth Stampeders head coach to win the Annis Stukus Trophy as the CFL’s coach of the year. He joins a group that includes Jerry Williams (1967), Jack Gotta (1978), Wally Buono (1992 and 1993) and Tom Higgins (2005).
He began his coaching career in 1987 with the Saskatchewan Roughriders as a player/coach. In 1990, he joined the Stampeders as offensive coordinator under Wally Buono. In this role, Hufnagel helped guide the team to three Grey Cup games, including a championship in 1992. His innovative offences were explosive under the direction of Doug Flutie, who received the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player award three consecutive years (1992-1994) with the Stamps. Hufnagel also developed Jeff Garcia and enabled him to take over from Flutie in 1996. These high-powered offences also featured players such as Dave Sapunjis and Allen Pitts, who received numerous league accolades. During Hufnagel’s seven seasons with the Stampeders, the team finished first in the West Division six times.
Following his success in the CFL, he went to the Arena Football League as head coach/general manager of the New Jersey Red Dogs. In two seasons, he posted a 17-11 record. Hufnagel joined the Cleveland Browns in 1999 and spent two seasons as the quarterbacks coach. In 2001, he was the quarterbacks coach for the Indianapolis Colts when Peyton Manning completed 62.7 per cent of his passes for 4,131 yards. Hufnagel spent the 2002 season as quarterbacks coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. That year, Mark Brunell threw just seven interceptions in 416 pass attempts and his 85.7 quarterback rating was his highest in four years.
Hufnagel spent the 2003 season as the quarterbacks coach for the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. Under his tutelage, Tom Brady completed 60.2 per cent of his passes for 3,620 yards, 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and was named the Super Bowl MVP.
The next season, Hufnagel joined the New York Giants, with whom he spent three seasons as offensive coordinator. In 2004, the Giants scored 60 more points than they had the previous season (303-243). Running back Tiki Barber set a franchise record with 1,518 rushing yards and quarterback Eli Manning starting laying a foundation that saw him emerge as the Super Bowl MVP for the 2007 season. In 2005, Barber upped his team record to 1,860 rushing yards and the Giants had the third-highest scoring offence in the NFL.
Prior to coaching, Hufnagel starred at Penn State University under Joe Paterno. In his final two seasons as a starter, his record was 21-3. As a junior, he led the Nittany Lions to a 30-6 Cotton Bowl win over Texas and in his final season took his team to the Sugar Bowl. He also finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting in 1972.
In 1973, he was a 14th-round draft choice of the Denver Broncos. He spent three seasons with the Broncos before starting a 12-year CFL career with the Calgary Stampeders (1976-79), Saskatchewan Roughriders (1980-83, 1987) and Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1984-86).
Hufnagel earned a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from Penn State. He and his wife, Penny, have two daughters, Neely and Lindsey, and a son, Cole.