Published Nov 06, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 4 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n The Winnipeg Blue Bombers\u2019 off-season just received a high-voltage jolt of intrigue.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive columns by Ryan Stelter, Paul Friesen, Ted Wyman, Scott Billeck, Lorrie Goldstein, Warren Kinsella and others. 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Plus newsletters: Gimme Stelter for your beat on the city, The Exit Row for all your Jets news and On the Rocks for curling.Unlimited online access to Winnipeg Sun and 15 news sites with one account.Winnipeg Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n As head coach Mike O\u2019Shea, the face of the franchise, approaches the end of his contract, another CFL job that would fit him like a glove opened late Wednesday.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Ryan Dinwiddie\u2019s surprise move from Toronto to Ottawa, where he adds the GM duties to his head coaching role, leaves the Argonauts in need of a head man.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve always thought there were two places O\u2019Shea could land if and when his time in Winnipeg runs out, either by his choice or someone else\u2019s: Hamilton or Toronto.<\/p>\n Hamilton, because that\u2019s where he started his CFL playing career and because, much like Winnipeg, it\u2019s his kind of town with his kind of fans.<\/p>\n Toronto doesn\u2019t have the lure of a widespread, passionate fan base, but it is where O\u2019Shea played the majority of his career and where he started his coaching career, winning three Grey Cups as a player, one as an assistant coach.<\/p>\n The Winnipeg Sun’s Daily Headline News<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n More importantly, it\u2019s where Michael (Pinball) Clemons works.<\/p>\n Clemons was the Argos head coach when O\u2019Shea won a championship there as special-teams coordinator in 2004. Before that, they won two as Toronto teammates.<\/p>\n Ask Clemons, now Toronto\u2019s GM, about O\u2019Shea and his eyes light up like, well, like a pinball machine.<\/p>\n These two don\u2019t just respect each other, they love each other.<\/p>\n Clemons\u2019 favourite line when people ask him about his favourite player of all time. \u201cI don\u2019t have favourites but Mike O\u2019Shea is my favourite.\u201d<\/p>\n Days before his Argos took on O\u2019Shea\u2019s Bombers in the 2022 Grey Cup, Clemons expanded on his feelings about his fellow Hall of Famer.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is one of the most special people that I\u2019ve ever been around in my life,\u201d Clemons said. \u201cLove him like a nephew, brother, son \u2013 whatever you want to call it. He\u2019ll always be one of the most impactful people in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n O\u2019Shea\u2019s comments about Clemons that same week glowed just as warmly.<\/p>\n \u201cHe taught me a tremendous amount,\u201d the coach said. \u201cHe\u2019s one of the best human beings you\u2019ll ever meet. I love the guy.\u201d<\/p>\n Love, meet loyalty.<\/p>\n We can only imagine the conflicting emotions within O\u2019Shea when he gets that call from his old boss and teammate \u2013 if he hasn\u2019t got it already.<\/p>\n The CFL prohibits teams not in the Grey Cup from making any big announcements from Thursday of this week through Grey Cup Sunday. The Argos came in just under the wire with their news on Dinwiddie.<\/p>\n Theoretically, they can\u2019t even talk to O\u2019Shea, yet. He\u2019s still under contract.<\/p>\n But nudge and wink your way into denial all you like.<\/p>\n Toronto can ask for Winnipeg\u2019s permission to talk to O\u2019Shea before his contract expires if, say, they\u2019re offering him a promotion, like the one Dinwiddie got in Ottawa.<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Even if they\u2019re not, what\u2019s a little get-together between old friends?<\/p>\n So get ready to unleash the paparazzi for Grey Cup week. Scour the restaurants and bars, the side streets and back lanes, for the Royal Couple. I can see the tabloid headlines already: The two Michaels: Will they reunite?<\/p>\n In his season-ending media session the other day, I asked O\u2019Shea if he was ever intrigued about the idea of a new challenge.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t offer myself a lot of time to think about other things,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He repeated how much he loves the fans here, and why not, after 13 straight sellouts.<\/p>\n A new challenge in Toronto? That\u2019d sure be one.<\/p>\n The 55-year-old\u2019s first love is the CFL and making football matter again in Toronto would be great for the league. Then again, not even winning two of the last three Grey Cups could accomplish that.<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Asked if he could give fans any sense of where he planned or hoped to be: \u201cWell, I\u2019ve been here for 12 years. I haven\u2019t left yet. I\u2019ve always said this is a great community. People that just pass through don\u2019t understand it. People that spend any amount of time here realize how good of a city it is and community it is.<\/p>\n \u201cIn terms of a sporting community, it\u2019s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps that will be enough for Winnipeg to keep him.<\/p>\n Maybe Bombers president\/CEO Wade Miller will have to up the ante and match whatever Clemons has in mind.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve heard from some fans who think it\u2019s time for a change. They have no idea what\u2019s on the other side of that.<\/p>\n O\u2019Shea is the No. 1 reason this team\u2019s culture is what it is. Eight straight playoff appearances, five trips to the Grey Cup and two championships is the result.<\/p>\n In the days after the Bombers lost their playoff game in Montreal, players were asked if this was the end of an era.<\/p>\n Every single one said no.<\/p>\n That answer would change if their head coach bolts.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll leave you with the words of linebacker Redha Kramdi.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Winnipeg Blue Bombers wouldn\u2019t be the Winnipeg Blue Bombers without Michael O\u2019Shea.\u201d<\/p>\n paul.friesen@kleinmedia.ca<\/p>\n X: @friesensunmedia<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Share this article in your social network<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Breadcrumb Trail Links SportsFootballCFLWinnipeg Blue Bombers Get the latest from Paul Friesen straight to your inbox Sign Up…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":266643,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-266642","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cfl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-canadian-football-league","11":"tag-canadianfootballleague","12":"tag-cfl","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266642\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Football](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/oshdinsmall-e1762474036667.jpg\")
Before the 2022 Grey Cup game, Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea (left) and Toronto Argonauts head coach Ryan Dinwiddie attended a media event. Dinwiddie’s exit from the Argonauts has raised speculation that O’Shea might replace him. Photo by Heywood Yu \/The Canadian PressArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Winnipeg](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/19.9.2\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-wsun-new.svg\"){kind=logo}
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