MISSOULA — Dave Dickenson hit a coaching milestone Saturday, becoming just the 12th coach in Canadian Football League history to reach 100 career wins.
Dickenson, a Great Falls native who was inducted into the Grizzly Sports, Big Sky Conference and College Football halls of fame after a stellar playing career at the University of Montana, is in his 10th season as the head coach of the Calgary Stampeders. On Saturday, the Stampeders defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 28-23 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta.
The Stampeders trailed 20-16 entering the fourth quarter but scored the go-ahead touchdown with 29 seconds remaining when Dedrick Mills ran in a 49-yard score. The win improved Calgary to 5-6 on the season.
Dickenson's career coaching record now stands at 100-66-3 with Grey Cup championships in 2014 and 2018. He received the Annis Stuku Trophy as the CFL coach of the year in 2016. He's only the fourth CFL coach to win 100 career games with one team, joining Winnipeg coaches Mike O'Shea and Bud Grant and former Calgary coach John Hufnagel.
Dickenson also won three Grey Cup rings as a player, which included six seasons as the Stampeders' quarterback. Dickenson won Grey Cup championships in 1998, 2006 and 2008 as a player and was the CFL's most outstanding player in 2000 after throwing for 4,636 yards, 36 touchdowns and six interceptions while guiding Calgary to a 12-5-1 record.
At the University of Montana, Dickenson was a three-time Big Sky MVP and led the nation in passing in 1995 while leading Montana to the NCAA Division I-AA national championship. Dickenson is the Grizzlies' all-time leader in career passing yards (11,080) and touchdowns (96).
