Doug Berry

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Doug Berry (born July 17, 1948 in Claremont, New Hampshire) is the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1973 with a degree in Recreation and Parks Administration. He did two years of active duty in the United States Army in the early 1970s after being drafted in 1968. Berry spent a year and a half working in Germany as an army sergeant.

[edit] Biography

Berry became a small business owner after his military discharge. He sold stereo equipment until deciding in 1976 that he wanted to become a football coach.

Doug Berry began his coaching career in 1976 at the University of New Hampshire, his alma mater, before working with Penn State's offensive line in 1978. During his first year at PSU, the team played in the NCAA national championship game.

Berry then spent two years coaching Boston College's offensive line before moving on to his 17-year stay at the University of Massachusetts. He was an assistant with the University of Massachusetts Minutemen football team from 1981 to 1997, coaching runningbacks, receivers, and the offensive line act very times over his long tenure.

Berry became the runningbacks coach at the University of Richmond in Virginia in 1998. Berry spent only one year at Richmond before moving to Montreal, Canada to join the Alouettes in the Canadian Football League (CFL).

In 1999 Berry began with the Montreal Alouettes as their offensive line coach. During this time Montreal had three players named as the CFL's Most Outstanding Lineman, Uzooma Okeke in 1999, Pierre Vercheval in 2000, and Bryan Chiu in 2002. His O-line helped star running back Mike Pringle win the CFL's rushing title in 1999 and 2000. The Alouettes won the Grey Cup in 2002.

Berry was promoted to co-offensive co-ordinator (with Kevin Strasser) and quarterbacks coach in 2003. In 2003, quarterback Anthony Calvillo posted a career-high 5,891 passing yards and 37 touchdowns. Calvillo set more personal bests the following year with 6,041 passing yards and added 5,556 yards to his career total. Calvillo led the league in passing yards for both the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

On December 15, 2005, Berry signed a multi-year contract to become the 26th head coach in Winnipeg Blue Bombers history. After guiding the team to a 9-9 record, he took the Bombers to their first playoff game since 2003, but ended up losing to the Toronto Argonauts.

After the 2006 season he was nominated for Coach of the Year, but lost to Wally Buono of the B.C. Lions.

During the 2007 campaign, Berry's Bombers got off to a hot start, but struggled against division opponents in the closing weeks. As a result, the team finished one point behind the Toronto Argonauts in the East Division, despite leading in the division for much of the year, and did not earn a first round bye. However, the Blue Bombers won each of their first two playoff matchups, and earned a spot in the Grey Cup. The team failed to capture the 2007 title, losing to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

[edit] CFL Coaching Record