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Stampeders' John Hufnagel named CFL's coach of the year

Todd Korol / Reuters

WINNIPEG - The CFL's best regular-season record and a Grey Cup championship have earned John Hufnagel his second Annis Stukus Trophy.

Hufnagel was named the CFL's coach of the year Wednesday in voting conducted by the Football Reporters of Canada, receiving 43 of the 65 ballots cast. Tom Higgins of the Montreal Alouettes and Chris Jones of the Edmonton Eskimos were the other finalists.

Hufnagel, 63, guided Calgary to a league-best 15-3 record and the Stampeders capped their season with a 20-16 Grey Cup victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at B.C. Place Stadium.

"I'm honoured and proud to receive this award and I accept it on behalf of everyone in our organization who made it possible," said Hufnagel. "The award also belongs to our owners, coaches, support staff, players and fans.

"They all played a major role in our success in 2014 and I thank them all."

It marks the second time Hufnagel has secured the coach of the year honour, doing so in '08 when he led Calgary to a CFL title in his first season as its head coach and general manager. He joins Wally Buono (1992-'03) as the only Stampeders coaches to receive the award on multiple occasions.

Besides Buono and Hufnagel, the other Calgary coaches to be presented the Annis Stukus Trophy include Jerry Williams (1967), Jack Gotta (1978) and Higgins ('05).

Higgins, the former CFL director of officiating and a two-time coach of the year winner, led Montreal to a 9-9 record and second spot in the East Division in his first season with the club, an impressive feat considering the Alouettes opened the season 1-7.

Edmonton posted a 12-6 record — second-best in the CFL — under Jones, its first-year head coach, after registering a 4-14 mark in 2013. But the Eskimos couldn't solve the Stampeders, losing all three regular-season games and the West Division final to their provincial rivals.

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