Tony Proudfoot - Teaching, Coaching and Broadcasting

Teaching, Coaching and Broadcasting

During his playing career, Proudfoot began teaching Physical Education at Dawson College in Montreal in 1978, and continued to work for there for 30 years. In the years that followed, he also lectured in Exercise Science at Concordia University and Physical Education at McGill. Following his playing career, he received some coaching offers in the CFL, but decided to combine his teaching career, which provided financial stability, with coaching in Montreal. Proudfoot coached youth community teams and school teams in Pointe-Claire, Lower Canada College as well as the Junior Alouettes and the Junior Concordes. In summers, he worked as Waterfront Director at Camp Nominingue in the Laurentians from 1987 to 1995. For four years, he served as Assistant Coach for the Concordia Stingers, including 1998 when the Stingers reached the Vanier Cup. Proudfoot also pursued further education, and received a master's degree in Sports Science at McGill University.

When the Alouettes returned to the CFL in 1996, Proudfoot became the team's radio analyst on CJAD. He served as assistant coach to Alouette head coach Rod Rust in 2001, but continued to work as a broadcast analyst, never betraying the confidences of the team and its players during his broadcasts.

In 2002, Proudfoot began planning a book to examine about which traits and qualities result in greatness in a CFL player. Following several years of interviews, research and writing Proudfoot's book entitled "First and Goal: The CFL and the Pursuit of Excellence" was published in 2006. The book includes insights from 44 coaches and players, including Dave Dickenson, Wally Buono and Geroy Simon. Jack Todd described the book as a "compelling analysis of all the factors that make the game entertaining and complex."

Proudfoot saw some of the injured from his office window during the 2006 Dawson College shooting, and descended with his first aid kit. While the shooting continued and until a stretcher arrived about 15 minutes later, he tended to a student who had been shot in the head. The young man survived.