Christian Canadian Sports Magazine

Wally Buono – B.C. Lions
By R. CHANCE SAINT-MARCHE

“Have Faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ, as He will never let you down.”

These were the words of a man to his youngest daughter, a man whose first real job as an adult was to inflict as much bodily pain upon his opponent as was humanly possible. To remind that opponent’s coach and play caller it would be best not to come to his side of the field for that was “his turf, his domain, his kingdom” and to cross into it would not be welcomed.

For Wally Buono, the life as a CFL player and coach speak volumes about his own life. Born in the small town of Potenza, Italy to a young Carmela Buono and her older husband, Michele, the two bothers Rocco and Wally eagerly waited for news from their father and Uncle Bonaventura on their new life in Montreal.

Finally, in 1953 Michele sent for his wife and children. Their dream of coming to a new land was full of adventure and like many immigrants of that day; it would include its own set of struggles. The family would find it difficult, as the reality of it all was there was little work for the older Michele who would struggle with the language and culture. Michele was a labourer and he would often have to work long hours when he did work.

The young brothers barely knew their father when he passed in 1959, and so the responsibility of the family rested upon Carmela. For the Buono family it was not about faith, it was about survival. Their mother had done the very best she could to keep the family together and make “ends meet.” It was difficult for a woman who spoke no English or French and worked her days away at the assembly line at Expert Candy of Montreal.

A decision had to be made and quickly as Carmela feared her boys would end up in trouble with the local police. With the advice of her co-workers and some of the management of the candy manufacturer, Wally and Rocco Buono would be sent off to Shawbridge which was a reformatory that was built in 1907. The facility had transformed itself into a place for not only troubled children but as a place for the children of poor immigrant families who needed a roof over their heads and a square meal. For Carmela Buono this was not an act of punishment but of protection as she very few alternatives available. Her long hours kept her away from her boys and this was the best choice she had as she needed time to get herself on her feet. It was simply survival as she had never counted on being alone at such a young age. For Wally and his older brother Rocco the visit to Shawbridge would last almost four years.

They say what doesn’t kill you will only make you tougher and that is the case for the Buono boys. For a period of time they would ride their bikes over to a park and watch a rag-tag band of kids play this game called football. Like most Canadian kids the Buono’s like to play hockey. It was the sport of their new country and one they understood the rules to. The guy with the puck gets hit and if you get the puck it has to go into the net before you get hit. The lessons were clear as the local priests had taught them the game. These were the same priests that would line up on the ice against you so there was no question that understanding the basic two rules was a must.

A young man named Al Phenueff had organized a football team and he invited the Buono’s to come and play. Years later Phenueff would become a Christian and he would be the first Christian the Roman Catholic, Wally Buono, would encounter. “Rocco was an amazing player. He was tough but even at an early age Wally was a student of the game. He had raw instincts unmatched by any of the other players and most of all, the younger Buono loved to hit” stated Joe Pistilli a long time volunteer within Quebec’s junior football programs.

“He’d hit you and then tell you about it,” laughed Pistilli. “You probably would do better in a game if you stayed away from his side of the field because if you didn’t he’d make you pay for it.” This type of play in junior football earned Buono a chance to play at Idaho State in the NCAA Division 1AA. Years later, Wally would be inducted into the Idaho State Sports Hall of Fame as a current record holder.

This could have been the end to a great story. Local boy leaves, makes good, comes back home with beautiful bride. Still, it wasn’t, as there was more to the story. Rocco Buono would sacrifice his own career to stay home and watch over his mother while making it possible for his younger brother to go on to school. For Wally, Rocco was the surrogate father he really never had and this was the ultimate sacrifice one person could make for another. Years later, Wally would publicly acknowledge this sacrifice to a gathered crowd in Montreal at the Third Annual Wally Buono Award.

Upon their return to Montreal the Buono’s settled into modest living accommodations and began to plan their future – one that included family and football. Armed with a teaching degree, Wally would find his strength in coaching but first there would be ten years of playing for the Montreal Alouettes at the position of linebacker and punter. Those years would include two Grey Cup rings and a lasting impression made by a man named Marv Levy. For the young Buono, Marv Levy represented what a couch should be. He treated his players with respect. Levy always looked for players who had pride, a solid work ethic, brains and were self motivating. He appealed to their sense of manhood and their sense of what a champion represents.

As his football career came to an end on the field, Wally Buono embraced the same ideology as his former head coach as he became an assistant coach for the Alouettes. Marv Levy had always believed in Buono and his abilities as a coach as he stated publicly years later. For Buono all that he had learned from his university classes would no be forever meshed with his schooling of hard knocks from Marv Levy. Above all, treating men with respect would be his emotional guideline.

As Wally was transitioning from his final playing days he felt a need for something more in his life and the life of his family. His family had grown to three beautiful little girls. As Buono searched he came in contact with the ministries of Athletes in Action. At first it was a little difficult for the Roman Catholic man to visualize what and how being a Christian could not be a conflict but with his wife, Sande, they began to explore the Christian faith.

The more Wally and Sande learned, the more they wanted to learn about the Lord, Jesus Christ and his message. Somewhere along the way Wally saw a connection between his faith and his new found motivation in his spiritual beliefs. Becoming a Christian allowed Buono to understand his competitor, what that competitor is about and how honesty comes into the field of play.

Buono understands that God wants each of us to do things to the best of our ability no matter what the circumstances may be. With this belief in his heart Wally Buono would go one to add to the two player Grey Cup Rings he owned by adding three more as the head coach and general manager of the Calgary Stampeders and one additional ring with the B.C. Lions. Although there had been a couple of “speed bumps” along the way as Buono split from temporary Stampeder owner Michael Federik in late 2002, life was good.

Moving to Vancouver to become the head coach and general manager of the B.C. Lions was nearly seamless for the now legendary coach. His first order of business was to move in with his youngest daughter Christie as she attended Trinity College. Both Christie and Wally are much alike in their passion for the game of football. There is a bond between the two of them and each supports the other in their time of need. For Wally, his time of need would come as quick as lightning strikes sometimes from the heavens.

On July 4th of this year Bob Ackles died suddenly from a heart attack. The news hit the Buono family very hard. Bob was more than Wally’s boss he was a good friend and a man Buono admired. For days Wally could not speak about what had happened. The sudden shock was too much to think about. But there daily, on the edge of the practice field, would be Christie Buono lending her support and reminding her father of Bob Ackles’ presence among them even though he had gone to meet his maker. It had been a relationship that had many years of ultimate respect between the two men. Christie Buono knew this and it was her constant support of her father that helped Wally come to the understanding that Bob Ackles, although he would be missed, is where he belongs with Our Lord in Heaven.

It is easy to see the closeness between these two individuals as their lives are connected on many fronts. Christie was the first of the Buono four children to be baptized as a Christian as her faith parallels that of her parents. For many years the two swapped motivation notes before games and events to each other. As a fifth grader, Christie Buono began making up her own motivational quotes to give to her dad. “Before every game I would meet my dad in his office and I would give him my ‘sign’ as we would call it. Then he would place it on his file cabinet for everyone to see,” explained Christie.

Recently, Christie has taken over as the head of the Wally Buono Award which is the only national award for junior football. It has become a true father-daughter award as both Buonos pile over data as they make their final selection not only based on the individual player’s ability but on what kind of person each player is.

“The award is like the U.S. College Heisman Trophy award for Canadian Junior football. It means a great deal to junior players across Canada,” stated Cassidy Doneff, this year’s WBA winner.

For Wally and Christie Buono the Award is their way of giving back to the Canadian football community. In football, as in life, there will be trials and tribulations. No one knows this more than Wally Buono. For Buono, there is more to his life than football and only time will tell in what direction his faith will lead him.