Former Ticats coach Al Bruno passes away

Al Bruno was born in the United States, and he died in the U.S. But during his time in Canada, he left his mark on Hamilton, The Tiger-Cats and Canadian football. Al Bruno, former head coach of the Tiger-Cats and the McMaster Marauders died Sunday night in Port Charlotte, Florida at the age of 87.

He succumbed to kidney and heart failure. Bruno, a Pennsylvania native, was a good athlete, played football and basketball at the University of Kentucky, and came north to play for the Toronto Argos in 1952.

When his playing career ended, Bruno turned to coaching. He was a Tiger-Cats assistant coach under Joe Restic in 1968, and followed Restic to Harvard where he coached for 12 years. He returned to Hamilton as Director of Player Personnel and was promoted to Head Coach in 1983.

Under his guidance, the Cats went to 4 Grey Cups, winning the 1986 Cup as a huge underdog to the Edmonton Eskimos. He was fired in 1990. His final coaching stint was with McMaster from 1994 to 1996. Al Bruno was always fair, treated his players with respect and in return, he was loved by his players. One of those players was Jason Riley.

Jason Riley, Ticats player from 1984-93: “There’s a few really tangible moments in life that you never forget. One of them was hoisting him up on my shoulders after we won the ’86 Grey Cup, in Vancouver, my home town, with all my family there and my wife’s family. That is one of the highlights of my life.”

There’ll be a memorial service for Al Bruno Thursday in Port Charlotte, Florida.