Michael O'Shea (born September 21, 1970) is a

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

coach and former player who is currently the head coach of the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL). He is a former

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

and former special teams coordinator of the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

of the CFL from 2010 to 2013, winning the

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () 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 between the winners ...

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

. O'Shea played 16 seasons in the CFL for the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...

and Toronto Argonauts from 1993 to 2008. He retired second all-time in career tackles with 1,154 and is one of only three players to record over 1,000 tackles. He won the

CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award The Most Outstanding Canadian Award is annually awarded to the best Canadian player in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Lew Hayman Trophy winner from the East Division, and the Dr. Beattie Martin Trophy winne ...

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

after recording 84 tackles, 13 special teams tackles and three interceptions that year. O'Shea is a three-time

champion as a player, having won all three with the Argonauts in

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, and

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

. He is also a two-time Grey Cup winning head coach, having won with the

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

and

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

; O'Shea also won the Grey Cup previously as a special teams coach with the Toronto Argonauts in the

100th Grey Cup The 100th Grey Cup was a Canadian football game between the East Division champion Toronto Argonauts and the West Division champion Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League to decide the Grey Cup champions of the 2012 season. The ga ...

Professional career

Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1993–1995)

The

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. The E ...

picked O'Shea in the 1st round (4th overall) in the 1993 CFL Canadian College Draft. However, he was soon after traded to Hamilton by Edmonton along with QB DeChane Cameron, linebacker DeWayne Odom and a negotiation list player in exchange for QB

Damon Allen Damon L. Allen (born July 29, 1963) is an American former professional football quarterback. He played 23 years in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is currently fourth in all-time professional football passing yards and second in all-ti ...

on February 16, 1993. In his first season in the CFL in 1993, O'Shea started in all 18 games. In 1994, he once again played in all 18 games during the regular season. He had 95 DT, 11 special teams tackles and 5 interceptions during the regular season. He was also named to the East Division All-Star team at middle linebacker. In 1995, O'Shea played in 10 games for Hamilton, made 69 DT, 4 special teams tackles and intercepted 2 passes during the regular season. He was named to the North Division All-Star team. In Hamilton's 31–13 loss to the Calgary Stampeders in the North Division Semi-Final, made 4 DT and 1 special teams tackle.

Toronto Argonauts (1996–1999)

O'Shea signed with the Argonauts half way through the 1996 season after he was one of the final cuts in the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

training camp. He played in the last 8 games of the regular season started Toronto's final 5 games of the regular season. He helped lead Toronto to the 1996 Grey Cup game in a win over Edmonton. He would also help Toronto win its second Grey Cup in as many years in the 1997 game. O'Shea would also play in Toronto in the 1998 and 1999 season as middle linebacker, putting up good numbers.

Second Stint with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2000)

Hamilton acquired O'Shea in a trade with Toronto in exchange for RB Éric Lapointe, the right of first refusal on all offensive lineman and the playing rights to Orlondo Steinauer on June 11, 2000. He made an immediate impact in the season opener vs. B.C. as he contributed with 7 DT, made 3 DT On October 13, 2000 in the Tiger-Cats' 32–8 loss to Toronto, O'Shea had his best individual game of the season with 12 DT and 1 pass knockdown. He finished the season third in the league with 90 DT.

Second Stint with the Toronto Argonauts (2001–2008)

O'Shea signed with the Argonauts once again as a free agent in the 2001 season. The Argonauts had a horrible 2001 season. In 2002, the Argos seemed to turn it around, and made it to the East final only to lose to Montreal. In his second tenure with the Argonauts, O'Shea was an important component of the Argonauts' strong defence. In 2004, O'Shea helped lead the Argos to the 2004 Grey Cup Championship, beating the B.C. Lions 27–19, winning his 3rd Grey Cup, all with the Argonauts. Against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on October 20, 2006, he became the first Canadian and third player in CFL history to record 1000 career tackles. In 2007, he was voted as the

middle linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the li ...

on the All-Time Argos Team. O'Shea was released by the Argonauts on February 27, 2009. He finished his career with the second most games played by an Argonaut with 205, 17 games behind former linebacker

Don Moen Donald James Moen (born June 29, 1950) is an American singer, pianist, and songwriter, specializing in Christian worship music. Early life and education Moen grew up in Two Harbors, Minnesota, where he attended high school, graduating in ...

. Based on his playing career, he was inducted into the

Canadian Football Hall of Fame The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about the CFL, ...

in 2017.

Coaching career

Assistant Coach

O'Shea was hired by the

as their special teams coordinator for the 2010 season. He spent four seasons in Toronto where he won his first

as a coach in the

Head Coach

The

hired O'Shea on December 4, 2013, he became the team's 30th Head Coach in team history. The Blue Bombers gradually improved from the season before O'Shea arrived, 2013, when the team only won 3 regular season games, to 2019, when the team won the Grey Cup. In 2014 and 2015, Winnipeg did not qualify for the playoffs. In 2016, the Blue Bombers had their first winning season (11-7) and qualified for the playoffs for the first time under O'Shea. The team lost to BC 32-31 in the West Semi-Final. In 2017, the Blue Bombers hosted their first playoff game in O'Shea's tenure, but lost 39-32 to Edmonton. In 2018, the team won its first playoff game, 23-18 in the West Semi-Final vs Saskatchewan, and appeared in its first division final. In the West Final, Winnipeg fell to Calgary 22-14. In 2019, O'Shea's sixth year with the team, he won his first Grey Cup as a head coach, defeating the

and ending a 29-year drought in Winnipeg with a win in the 107th Grey Cup game. O'Shea had helped establish a winning foundation for the Bombers, following four successful double-digit win seasons. As a result of this, the Blue Bombers extended him for an additional three seasons through to 2022. O'Shea would help guide the Bombers to two more Grey Cup appearances, winning in

and losing to the Argonauts to close out the 2022 season. He was named coach of the year in both seasons. Following three consecutive trips to the championship match O'Shea and the Blue Bombers agreed on a three-year contract extension in December 2022. Winnipeg went to the Grey Cup in 2023 for the fourth consecutive season. The team lost on a last second touchdown to the Montreal Alouettes. In 2024, Winnipeg started 0-4 and 2-6. In the team's ninth game, they shutout the BC Lions 25-0, and held the Lions to four first downs for the entire game. In the team's 10th game of the season, after a bye week, Winnipeg defeated BC once again. This was O'Shea's 100th regular season win as a head coach. In Winnipeg's

Labour Day Classic The Labour Day Classic (, branded as OK Tire Labour Day Weekend for sponsorship reasons) is a week of the Canadian Football League (CFL) schedule played over the Labour Day weekend (which includes the first Monday in September). Labour Day weeke ...

victory against Saskatchewan, O'Shea tied Bud Grant's 102 victories as Blue Bombers head coach. In the team's

Banjo Bowl The Banjo Bowl is the annual rematch game between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) after the Labour Day Classic. While the traditional Labour Day Classic game is always played on the ...

win over Saskatchewan the following week, he broke Grant's record; his 103rd victory as a CFL head coach placed him ninth all-time in victories for CFL head coaches.

CFL coaching record

Personal life

O'Shea and his wife have three children; one son and two daughters. In August 2022 the City of

North Bay, Ontario North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing. It developed as a railroad centre and its airport was an important military locatio ...

named a football field at the Steve Omischl Sports Complex after him.

References

External links

Winnipeg Blue Bombers profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oshea, Mike 1970 births Living people Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Canadian Award winners Canadian Football League Rookie of the Year Award winners Canadian football linebackers Canadian people of Irish descent Guelph Gryphons football players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Sportspeople from North Bay, Ontario Players of Canadian football from Ontario Toronto Argonauts coaches Toronto Argonauts players Winnipeg Blue Bombers coaches Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees