The Toronto Argonauts named John Hufnagel as a Senior Advisor to the General Manager and Head Coach on Thursday.
“A legend is entering the building! John Hufnagel is one of the most respected and revered people in our game today and defines the meaning of ‘Hall of Famer’, as one of the few who can call himself both a Grey Cup and Super Bowl champion,” said Argonauts General Manager Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons.
“A leader and a winner, John will mentor both the Head Coach and General Manager in his role as Senior Advisor, representing the team in league meetings, preparing for the combine, draft, pre-game preparations, post-game analysis, and any additional needs that a football season might require. We will all benefit from John’s wealth of experience, wisdom, and championship mentality.”
John Hufnagel is 74 years old and is from Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. He was most recently a special advisor/consultant of the Calgary Stampeders. Hufnagel spent 25 years with the Calgary Stampeders. He joined the Stampeders in 1990 as an offensive coordinator under Wally Buono.
As an offensive coordinator, Hufnagel helped the Stampeders reach three Grey Cups, winning one in 1992. His play-calling helped Doug Flutie win three consecutive CFL Most Outstanding Player awards from 1992 to 1994. After Flutie left, Hufnagel worked with Jeff Garcia.
Hufnagel left the Stampeders after the 1996 season to join the New Jersey Road Dogs of the Arena Football League as a head coach/general manager. He spent two seasons in New Jersey with a 17-11 record. Then, Hufnagel went to the NFL, spending time with the Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, and the New York Giants. He worked with guys like Peyton Manning, Mark Brunell, Tom Brady, and Tiki Barber. Hufnagel was a quarterbacks coach for the Patriots when they won Super Bowl XXXVIII over the Carolina Panthers.
Hufnagel returned to the Calgary Stampeders on December 3, 2007, as the head coach/general manager. He went 102-41-1 as the head coach, leading the Stampeders to two Grey Cup championships in 2008 and 2014. He was named a two-time winner of the Annis Stukus Trophy as the CFL’s coach of the year. Calgary posted a winning record in 14 consecutive seasons and won the West Division seven times.
In college, Hufnagel played three seasons at Penn State (1970-72), going 26-3 under Joe Paterno. In 1972, he became the first Nittany Lion quarterback to throw for more than 2,000 yards in a season. He helped the Nittany Lions win the Cotton Bowl over Texas and finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
The Denver Broncos drafted Hufnagel in the 14th round (348th pick) of the 1973 NFL Draft. He spent three seasons in Denver before making his way to the CFL, where he played for the Calgary Stampeders, Saskatchewan Roughriders, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He won a Grey Cup with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1984.
After his playing career ended, he began his coaching career in 1987 as a player/coach for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Hufnagel was inducted in to the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame in 2020.
