PLAYER #64 - AL BRUNO (1952-54)

He was one of the greatest coaches of the 1980's, so it's no wonder that Al Bruno was taught by "The Professor" and "The Bear", probably the two very best coaches in the history of the CFL and U.S. college football.

When Bruno was playing at the University of Kentucky in the late 1940's, he was coached by none other than the legendary "Bear" Bryant, who would later cement his reputation at the University of Alabama. After finishing school, Bruno went to play a year with the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles in 1951, and then returned as a graduate assistant coach under Bryant.

It was during this time that "The Professor", Argonaut coach Frank Clair, paid a visit to recruit somebody else, but Bryant recommended Bruno. The rest, as they say, is history.

"Back then, a lot of guys jumped to the Canadian league," said Bruno, who was enticed north in 1952, and stayed for a good deal longer. "We got better money, and the Canadian dollar was worth $1.10 in the U.S."

As an all-star rookie receiver in 1952, Bruno was a key component of the Argonauts Grey Cup win over Edmonton that year, a 21-11 triumph that was to be their last championship for 31 years. In fact, he was the prime target on the winning touchdown, but a coverage breakdown left Bruno double-covered and Zeke O'Connor wide open.

"Zeke bobbled the ball, but he held on to it," said Bruno, who after the Grey Cup triumph, went on to play two more years with the Argos, and then finished his CFL career in Winnipeg in 1956. However, his playing days weren't done yet, as he combined playing with his future passion, coaching, as a player-coach with the Ontario Rugby Football Union's London Lords from 1958-60.

After leaving to coach high school in Pennsylvania, Bruno returned to the CFL as an assistant coach with Ottawa in 1966 under, you guessed it, Frank Clair, the winningest coach in CFL history.

"My first year as a player under Frank Clair, we won the Grey Cup, and in my first year as a coach under Frank Clair, we lost the Grey Cup to Saskatchewan," said Bruno.

He stayed as offensive co-ordinator in the nation's capital for two years, and then took a similar job in Hamilton from 1968- 71. From there, he moved to Harvard University (that's right, Harvard, where the football players actually attend school, too!), where he stayed for 11 years before returning to the Ticats, this time as a popular and high-profile head coach.

His success the second time around was unquestioned, as he led the 'Cats to four Grey Cup games in eight years, and the team's last championship in 1986.

"When I look at the mirror in the morning, I feel I did a good job," said Bruno, who was let go by Hamilton in 1990. "When my wife respects me, that makes my day."

Currently, Bruno and his wife Marie split their time between a home in Florida and Hamilton, where Bruno is the head coach at McMaster University. The couple has twins, Maria and Mike, born in Bruno's second year in Toronto, and daughter Lisa.