Wayne Giardino (November 7, 1943 – February 16, 2021) was a Canadian athlete and coach in

Canadian football Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...

. Giardino was an award-winning

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

and

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...

Champion in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

with the

Ottawa Rough Riders The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine ...

. A graduate of

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

, Giardino joined the

in 1967. Rushing 3 times for 15 yards and blocking a kick in his rookie season was good enough to win the Gruen Trophy as best rookie in the East (this at a time when only Canadians were eligible for the award.) He later became a starting linebacker and dependable back up fullback, his best year being 1971 when he rushed for 201 yards. On defence, he intercepted six passes, returning three for touchdowns, and took fumble recoveries back for another three touchdowns, including 146 yards in 1972, still the second best in CFL history. On offence, he rushed for 536 yards and caught 44 passes during his career. He was a

champion three times: 1968, 1969 and 1973. Finally, he was the head coach of the Ottawa Sooners junior team in 1994, leading them to a 7 win and 2 loss season.
Ottawa Sooners coaches

Awards and honours

* 1967 - Gruen Trophy * 2014 -

Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame The Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame (french: Temple de la renommée du sport d'Ottawa) is a hall of fame dedicated to recognizing athletes and sportspeople associated with Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located in Ottawa City Hall and includes over 270 ...

References

1943 births 2021 deaths Canadian Football League Rookie of the Year Award winners Florida State Seminoles football players Ottawa Rough Riders players Players of Canadian football from Ontario Sportspeople from Peterborough, Ontario {{Canadianfootball-bio-stub