The Toronto Argonauts have extended the contract of another key member of their championship club, special teams coordinator Mickey Donovan.
TORONTOARGONAUTS EXTEND CONTRACT OF SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR MICKEY DONOVAN
Mickey Donovan, in his second season with Toronto, has coached a special teams unit that leads the CFL in return touchdowns (4), field goal percentage (92%), punt return average (15.0), kickoff average (72.5), blocked kicks (2) and hasn’t allowed a return touchdown all season.
“Mickey’s special teams have been a huge positive for us this year, week in and week out” said Argos Head Coach Ryan Dinwiddie. “He’s a great coach, a phenomenal motivator and is able to get the best out of his guys on a daily basis. We’re happy to keep him in Toronto.”
Mickey Donovan has helped turn what was a glaring Argos weakness in the recent past into an overwhelming strength. The 11-1 defending Grey Cup Champs most recently clinched the East division and their third straight Eastern final appearance at home on a game-deciding blocked field goal in Montreal. Last November, the Boatmen hoisted their 18th Grey Cup after blocking a Winnipeg field goal at the final gun.
Prior to Ryan Dinwiddie hiring him, Donovan served as special teams coordinator for Montreal from 2018-2021. He also coached his alma mater, Concordia, from 2014-2017 and was a defensive coordinator and assistant head coach for McGill University from 2012-2013.
The body of work for Mickey Donovan with the Double Blue has been very impressive. A year ago, Global punter John Haggerty earned All-Star acclaim. Donovan also helped transition National Rookie RB Daniel Adeboboye into one of the league’s best special teams coverage players. This season, RB/RET Javon Leake is in the conversation for Most Outstanding Special Teams Player with four return touchdowns, and K/P/KICKOFF specialist Boris Bede is having one of the best seasons of his eight-year career.
The Argos (11-1), for the first time in their 150-year history, are scheduled to host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (6-7) at BMO Field on Saturday, Sept. 23, with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. Toronto with six games left in their regular season campaign, will be looking to sweep their archrival during their 2023 regular season series. It might be the final meeting between both squads until 2024. But the two eternal rivals could potentially cross paths again in the East Final on November 11th.
