Sportexe Names 2006 Canadian Football Coach of the Year Winners

Fonthill Ontario, Canada, January 24, 2007 --(PR.com)-- Sportexe® is proud to announce the winners of its inaugural Canadian Football Coach of the Year award for 2006. As one of the global leaders in the synthetic turf system industry, Sportexe thoroughly reviewed candidates nationwide to find coaches from high school, collegiate and professional levels that demonstrate the same quality, integrity and performance that has become synonymous with the Sportexe brand.

Dedicated to providing proven, technology-rich synthetic turf systems worldwide, Sportexe, with world headquarters in Ontario, U.S. headquarters in Texas and research and development in Georgia has developed a reputation for unsurpassed quality - from start to finish. Since its incorporation in 1989, Sportexe has been perfecting the finest details that go into making better, safer, and higher performing athletic surfaces.

This dedication to quality has led Sportexe to where is today – underfoot of many of the most prestigious teams and sports facilities from around the globe. Sportexe clients include the Baltimore Ravens, New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, LSU, University of Alabama and the University of California at Berkeley.

Sportexe made international headlines with its state-of-the-art turf system installation at Ottawa, Ontario’s Frank Clair Stadium at Lansdowne Park, which received the first FIFA Recommended 2-Star rating in North America, giving it World Cup soccer-hosting capability.

Nominees were compiled and winners selected by a panel consisting of company officials, regional sales representatives and marketing and public relations personnel, along with consultants from the Canadian sports media.

“We are in the trenches working hand-in-hand with these guys every day,” said Sportexe CEO and President Mark Nicholls. “One would be hard-pressed to find people more in tune with the football-coaching industry than us. Sportexe is a huge supporter of football and the Canadian game is no exception. We are excited to acknowledge just a few of the game’s many outstanding achievers.”

This year’s winners include:

• CFL: Wally Buono, B.C. Lions
• CIS: Denis Piche, University of Ottawa
• High School: Todd Bernett, Vancouver College

CFL: Wally Buono, B.C. Lions – Wally Buono's British Lions had the CFL's top record this year and finished a 13-5 regular season by winning its first Grey Cup since 2000 by defeating the Montreal Alouettes 25-14 at Canad Inns Stadium in Winnipeg during a game where Coach Buono platooned three quarterbacks: Dave Dickenson, Buck Pierce and third-string Jarious Jackson. 

In 17 years as head coach of the Calgary Stampeders and BC Lions he has amassed a regular season record of 201-103-2, second only to Don Matthews. Buono also holds the record for first-place finishes with 11 and his post-season coaching record is 18-12, with four Grey Cup victories in eight appearances. 

CIS: Denis Piché, University of Ottawa – In his 11th season as a member of the Gee-Gees coaching staff and fifth as head coach, Piché led Ottawa to the best regular season record in the OUA (7-1) and the Yates Cup championship, both firsts since Ottawa re-joined the conference in 2001. The Gee-Gees had the best overall defence in the country allowing only 97 points in conference play and led the OUA on offence with 276 points scored. Ottawa topped all OUA schools with 11 conference all-star selections.

Piché has a 30-19 overall record since his appointment in 2002, including a 26-14 mark in the regular season. Under his guidance, the Gee-Gees have enjoyed four winning campaigns and have qualified for the playoffs every year.

High School: Todd Bernett, Vancouver College – Todd Bernett is not only the Fighting Irish head coach, but is also its offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, video coordinator and strength and conditioning coach. He has led Vancouver College (8-4) to Provincial AAA title game appearances in four of the last five years – including 2006, and in each of the last five years one of his players has received a scholarship to play at an NCAA Division I school. Some were even drafted to play for teams in the Canadian Football League (Rob LeBlanc, who attended in 2001, was recently drafted by the Edmonton Eskimos marking the 40th Fighting Irish graduate to join the Canadian Football League). 

Sportexe's American football winners include: Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints (NFL); Dave Bennett, Coastal Carolina (NCAA Division I-AA); Bill O’Boyle, Chadron State (NCAA Division II); Frank Miriello, Washington & Lee (NCAA Division III); Dino Kaklis, Bethel College (Tenn.) (NAIA); and Brad Franchione, Blinn College (Junior College); and Bill Redell, Westlake Village Oaks Christian (Calif.).

Sportexe also names coach of the year winners in NFL Europe, Arena and af2.

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