Don Loney

Don Loney

Date of birth	(1923-11-16)November 16, 1923
Place of birth	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Date of death	June 19, 2004(2004-06-19) (aged 80)
Place of death	Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia, Canada
Career information
Position(s)	Centre
US college	NC State
Career history
As coach
1957–1973	St. Francis Xavier X-Men (HC)
As player
1943	St. Hyacinthe-Donnacona Navy
1943	Ottawa Combines
1945	Montreal Hornets
1946	Toronto Argonauts
1947–1952	Ottawa Rough Riders
1954	Calgary Stampeders
CFL East All-Star	1946–1949
Awards	1950 Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy
Career stats
Canadian Football Hall of Fame, 2013

Donald John Loney (November 16, 1923 – June 19, 2004) was a professional Canadian football centre and football coach. He was called the "Father of Maritime Football" by The Globe and Mail for his work as a coach at St. Francis Xavier University and his contributions to developing the Vanier Cup as a national championship.

Playing career

After graduating from North Carolina State University, he played for the Ottawa Combines and the St. Hyacinthe-Donnacona Navy before serving in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II.

Post-war, he resumed his career and played nine seasons as a centre in Canadian football with the Montreal Hornets (1945), Toronto Argonauts (1946), Ottawa Rough Riders (1947–1952) and Calgary Stampeders (1954), meriting four East all-star selections and the Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy as East MVP in 1950, a rare feat for a player at his position. He won a pair of Grey Cups, with the Argonauts in 1946 and the Rough Riders in 1951.

Don served in Shearwater as the Base Physical Training and Recreation Officer for two years, and it was during this period that he coached the senior Shearwater Flyers football teams to Nova Scotia and Maritime championships in 1955 and 1956.

University coaching career

Loney headed the St. Francis Xavier X-Men football program from 1957 to 1973. During his tenure as head coach, he compiled a winning percentage of .807, including an eight-year-long undefeated streak, nine conference banners, six Jewett Trophys, four Atlantic Bowl wins, and a win in the second Canadian College Bowl in 1966. He helped establish both the Atlantic and Canadian College Bowls in 1960 and 1965, respectively. Time magazine dubbed St. FX as "The Assassins of Antigonish". Following his retirement in 1973, the Atlantic Bowl MVP award was named for him. He was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1988. The Loney Bowl was named for him in 2006. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2013, and has also been inducted into the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame, Canadian Forces Hall of Fame and StFX Sports Hall of Fame.