Wally Buono doesnB次元官网网址檛 want the B.C. Lions focused on winning for him in the CFL playoffs.

Instead, heB次元官网网址檚 consistently told his players to be internally motivated and pull for the team, not for a single individual B次元官网网址� even if that individual is standing on retirementB次元官网网址檚 doorstep.

B次元官网网址淥bviously heB次元官网网址檚 a guy that you respect. You want to see him go out in a special way,B次元官网网址� said Lions quarterback Travis Lulay. B次元官网网址淏ut that really isnB次元官网网址檛 the motivation.B次元官网网址�

Buono is set to conclude his CFL career at the end of the season. HeB次元官网网址檚 spent the past 46 years in the league, first as a player with the Montreal Alouettes, then as a coach and general manager for the Calgary Stampeders and then the B.C. Lions.

The 68-year-old has had an undeniable impact in his 490 appearances as head coach. HeB次元官网网址檚 clinched five Grey Cups and has more wins than any other coach in the leagueB次元官网网址檚 history.

B次元官网网址淟osing is something IB次元官网网址檝e never gotten used to,B次元官网网址� Buono told reporters last week. B次元官网网址淚 enjoy walking off the field and winning. I really donB次元官网网址檛 enjoy walking off the field and being a loser.B次元官网网址�

Sunday could mark BuonoB次元官网网址檚 last game, as the Lions (9-9) face off against the Hamilton Tiger-cats (8-10) in the East semifinal.

Despite the looming landmark, the coach doesnB次元官网网址檛 want to talk about what retirement may hold. He just wants to focus on football.

B次元官网网址淭his is why you play the game, this is why you coach the game. ItB次元官网网址檚 an opportunity to win a championship,B次元官网网址� he said.

Football may be his focus, but itB次元官网网址檚 leadership and mentorship that set him apart, his colleagues said.

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B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 got a big heart. Wally likes people and he respects his players. He knows what it takes to win,B次元官网网址� said Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson.

Dickenson played quarterback for the Lions from 2003 to 2007, and said he only joined with the club because Buono had just become the head coach.

B次元官网网址淭hat was the bottom line. If Wally hadnB次元官网网址檛 been here, I probably would have signed somewhere else,B次元官网网址� Dickenson said. B次元官网网址淚 can trust Wally. Wally is a very trustworthy person and what you see is what you get. And I knew he was a winner, too, so I knew we could win when I got here. And we did.B次元官网网址�

More than 600 players have suited up for Buono in at least one game over the years. Many credit him with launching their football careers.

B次元官网网址淗e was really the first guy in professional management that believed I could play,B次元官网网址� said Lulay, who has spent all 10 years of his CFL career with the Lions.

B次元官网网址淚 had bounced around the NFL and had just a few brief opportunities here and there. But even then, I felt like if I could get on the field, I believed I could prove I could play. And Wally actually gave me that chance.B次元官网网址�

The veteran quarterback won a Grey Cup with Buono in 2011 and vividly remembers his coachB次元官网网址檚 words before the championship game.

B次元官网网址淭he way he spoke to the team, it was as if the win had already happened,B次元官网网址� Lulay said, noting that Buono told them how chaotic the post-game scene would be and gave them directions on where they should gather for a team photo.

His confidence in the moment was B次元官网网址渞eally cool,B次元官网网址� Lulay said.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e going B次元官网网址楳an, coach really believes weB次元官网网址檙e going to win this game.B次元官网网址� I just remember that feeling really permeate our locker-room. It was like there was no chance that we werenB次元官网网址檛 going to win that football game.B次元官网网址�

Buono has been a role model and inspiration off the field, too.

Dwayne B次元官网网址淭he RockB次元官网网址� Johnson famously thanked Buono for cutting him from the Stampeders practice roster in 1995, saying the experience was a turning point in his life.

Lions fullback Rolly Lumbala said heB次元官网网址檚 been fortunate to have a front-row seat that allowed him to soak up some of B次元官网网址淲allyB次元官网网址檚 wisdomB次元官网网址� over the past 11 years.

B次元官网网址淪ometimes you have to make the hard decisions. Sometimes the unpopular choices of releasing or trading people for the greater good. IB次元官网网址檝e seen him do that and IB次元官网网址檝e seen him handle it,B次元官网网址� Lumbala said.

Buono is also known as a dedicated family man. His wife, Sande, four children and six grandchildren often attend LionsB次元官网网址� games, with some of the kids drawing motivational posters in marker and others waiting outside the locker room for B次元官网网址淧apaB次元官网网址� to bring out a Gatorade.

No matter the score, Buono greats them with hugs and smiles.

The behaviour isnB次元官网网址檛 lost on his players.

B次元官网网址淚 came in as a young man and now I have a family, I have a daughter,B次元官网网址� Lumbala said. B次元官网网址滻 see what heB次元官网网址檚 done, a leadership role, a mentorship, what type of family man he is. And thatB次元官网网址檚 definitely somebody I look up to.B次元官网网址�

Last week the Lions celebrated BuonoB次元官网网址檚 accomplishments at the clubB次元官网网址檚 final home game. Thousands of B次元官网网址淲ally headsB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� giant images of his face on sticks B次元官网网址� were placed throughout the stadium and bobbleheads in his likeness were sold on the concourse.

His former players lined the field before kickoff, showering him with hugs and handshakes after he ran out of the tunnel.

Messages of thanks flashed on the big screen during stoppages in play.

B次元官网网址淭hank you for giving me the opportunity to come and play up there,B次元官网网址� Cameron Wake, now a defensive lineman for the Miami Dolphins, said in one. B次元官网网址淚 learned so much, had a tremendous time, still think about it every day when IB次元官网网址檓 playing.B次元官网网址�

The Lions lost to the Calgary Stampeders, but chants of B次元官网网址淲ally, WallyB次元官网网址� still echoed through the crowd of more than 24,000.

In his post-game interview, Buono said he appreciated all that the club had done but he was visibly uncomfortable with being the centre of attention.

B次元官网网址淚t was great. It was nice to be acknowledged, it was nice to have all the tributes, it was nice of the organization,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址滲ut in the midst of trying to coach and play a football game, I blame myself for the players maybe being a little bit distracted.B次元官网网址�

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press

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