After a half-century on the sidelines, an iconic Manitoba football coach says he’s calling it a day.
Manitoba Bisons head coach Brian Dobie is set to retire after the upcoming 2024 campaign — his 29th at the University of Manitoba and his 50th overall as a coach.
“This was my dream job, a position that I’d wanted my whole 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 grew up.”
Brian Dobie, head coach of the Manitoba Bisons football team, in this 2013 file photo.
Josh Arason / Global News
Dobie is also a five-time Canada West Coach of the Year, a U Sports Coach of the Year, and a member of the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association Hall of Fame for his two decades at Churchill High School in Winnipeg.
U of M 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 guys’ 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 wraps up Oct. 26, but the U of M’s faculty of kinesiology and recreation management is set to kick off a formal recruitment process for Dobie’s replacement in September.
