“After half a century on the bench, a legendary Manitoba football coach is now retiring.”
Manitoba Bisons head coach Brian Dobie will retire after the upcoming 2024 season – his 29th at the University of Manitoba and his 50th overall as a coach.
“This was my dream job, a position I have wanted my entire adult and professional life,” said Dobie, the winningest coach in Bisons football history.
“The Bison football program has become our family, a family that my wife and I have embraced, loved and cherished, and a home where our daughter has grown up.”
Brian Dobie, head coach of the Manitoba Bisons football team, in this 2013 file photo.
Josh Arason / Global News
Dobie has also been named Canada West Coach of the Year and U Sports Coach of the Year five times and is a member of the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association Hall of Fame for his 20 years at Churchill High School in Winnipeg.
University of Michigan athletic director Gene Muller called Dobie the “heartbeat” of the Bisons.
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“His energy and infectious enthusiasm have inspired our student-athletes, staff and the University of Manitoba community,” Muller said in a statement.
“His unwavering love for the program and genuine care for ‘his boys’ have left an indelible mark on the Bison football program. We are deeply grateful for his dedication and leadership over the years.”
The 2024 season ends on Oct. 26, but the U of M Department of Kinesiology and Recreation Management will begin a formal recruitment process for Dobie’s successor in September.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
