Date of birth: | April 4, 1929 |
Place of birth: | Morris, Minnesota, U.S. |
Date of death: | November 30, 2010 | (aged 81)
Place of death: | Mound, Minnesota, U.S. |
Career information | |
---|---|
CFL status: | Import |
Position(s): | FB/LB |
College: | Minnesota |
Organizations | |
As administrator: | |
1988-1995 | Minnesota football administrative assistant and recruiting coordinator |
As coach: | |
1955 1956-1957 1958 1959-1961 1961-1967 1968 1969 1971-1972 1975 1977-1984 |
Albert Lea High School Ball State Assistant Coach Minnesota Assistant Coach BC Lions Backfield Coach BC Lions Boise State College Assistant Coach Edmonton Eskimos Assistant Coach Saskatchewan Roughriders Memphis Southmen Backfield Coach Golden Valley Lutheran College |
As player: | |
1953 1953-1954 |
Saskatchewan Roughriders Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
David A. Skrien[1] (April 4, 1929 – November 30, 2010)[2] was a Canadian Football League player and coach.
Skrien graduated from Morris High School (1946) and Minnesota (1950) where he played fullback and linebacker. He played two seasons in the CFL before becoming a coach.
Skrien's first coaching job was at Albert Lea High School where he spent one season as head coach. From there he served as an assistant at Ball State and Minnesota before returning to the CFL as the BC Lions backfield coach in 1959. Skrien was elevated to the Lions' head coaching position during the 1961 season after an 0–6–1 start. In his six seasons as the Lions head coach, Skrien's teams had a record of 42–47–5 and played in two Grey Cup Games, winning one (52nd). He also won the Annis Stukus Trophy in 1963 as the CFL coach of the year. Skrien was fired in 1967 after an 0–5 start.
After one season as an assistant coach at Boise State College, Skrien returned to the CFL as an assistant coach with the Edmonton Eskimos. When head coach Neill Armstrong left the Eskimos at the end of the season, management decided to promote the less experienced Ray Jauch to the head coaching position and Skrien did not return to Edmonton.
On December 29, 1970, Skrien was hired by the Saskatchewan Roughriders to replace head coach Eagle Keys. In his two seasons in Regina, the Roughriders had a 16–14–1 record and made the 1972 Grey Cup. Skrien resigned following the 1972 season.
In 1975, Skrien was hired by former CFL coach and executive Leo Cahill to coach the offensive backfield of the Memphis Southmen, which included Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick. After the World Football League folded, Skiren returned to his native Minnesota to coach Golden Valley Lutheran College. One of his players at GVLC was Nelson Simpson, who later wrestled under the name Nikita Koloff. In 1988, Skiren returned to his alma mater Minnesota as a football administrative assistant and recruiting coordinator. He retired after the 1995 season, but remains involved with Golden Gophers football.
Skrien died in a nursing home in Mound, Minnesota on November 30, 2010 due to complications from Alzheimer's disease. He was 81 years old. [3]
Team | Year | Regular Season | Post Season | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Result | |||
BC | 1961 | 1 | 7 | 1 | .125 | 5th in Western Football Conference | - | - | Missed Playoffs | |
BC | 1962 | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4th in Western Football Conference | - | - | Missed Playoffs | |
BC | 1963 | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 1st in Western Football Conference | 2 | 2 | Lost Grey Cup | |
BC | 1964 | 11 | 2 | 3 | .846 | 1st in Western Football Conference | 3 | 1 | Won Grey Cup | |
BC | 1965 | 6 | 9 | 1 | .400 | 4th in Western Football Conference | - | - | Missed Playoffs | |
BC | 1966 | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 5th in Western Football Conference | - | - | Missed Playoffs | |
BC | 1967 | 0 | 5 | 0 | .000 | 5th in Western Football Conference | - | - | Fired | |
SSK | 1971 | 9 | 6 | 1 | .600 | 2nd in Western Football Conference | 1 | 2 | Lost in Conference Finals | |
SSK | 1972 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3rd in Western Football Conference | 2 | 1 | Lost Grey Cup |
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