Former Manitoba Bisons coach headlines Football Manitoba Hall of Fame class – Winnipeg

Former Manitoba Bisons football head coach Brian Dobie leads this year’s list of inductees for the Football Manitoba Hall of Fame.

The longtime Bisons coach is one of eight individuals to be enshrined as part of the class of 2025. Dobie retired from the Herd late last year after coaching the team for 29 years. He led the Bisons to the 2007 Vanier Cup as well as three Canada West conference titles.

Dobie was named the conference’s coach of the year five different times and also coached the Churchill Bulldogs over his 50-year coaching career.

Former Neepawa Tigers coach Murray Black will also be inducted in the coach’s category.

Two former players were selected for induction. Christine O’Donnell will head into the hall after playing alongside the boys before trailblazing a path with the Winnipeg Fearless and Wolfpack women’s teams.

Jerome Swarath will also be inducted after playing touch football for over 45 years. He played in every major non-contact league and won eight championships over five decades and later became the commissioner of the PIT Touch & Flag Football League which is the biggest league in Canada.

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They’re joined by four builders in Terry Andryo, Craig Bachynski, Richard Dudek, and Don McPherson.

The Winnipeg Assassins Touch Team will also go into the hall of fame after winning 30 league titles over 33 years, while also capturing the 1982 National Intermediate Championship before retiring from outdoor play in 2011.

The 11th annual induction ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 25.

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