Albert P. Bruno (March 28, 1927 – October 5, 2014) was an American

gridiron football Gridiron football ( ),"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' ...

player, administrator, and coach who served as the head coach of the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...

from 1983 to 1990.

Early life

He was born in 1927 in

West Chester, Pennsylvania West Chester is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located in the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,671 at the 2020 census. West ...

. A graduate of West Chester High School and The Perkiomen School, Bruno attended the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

from 1948 to 1951. He played end on

Kentucky Wildcats football The Kentucky Wildcats football program represents the University of Kentucky in the sport of American football. The Kentucky Wildcats, Wildcats compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) ...

team, played forward for the Wildcats basketball team, and was a member of the track team. In his senior season, Bruno caught 38 passes for 589 yards and 10 touchdowns and was named third-team All America by both AP and UPI. His single-season school record for receiving yards stood until 1964 and his single-season record for touchdown receptions held until 1998. Bruno played nine games during the Wildcats 1948–49 championship winning basketball season, averaging 2.2 points per game. Bruno is one of only three Wildcats to have played for Hall of Fame coaches

Bear Bryant Paul William "Bear" Bryant (September 11, 1913 – January 26, 1983) was an American college football player and coach. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and best known as the head coach of ...

in football and

Adolph Rupp Adolph Frederick Rupp (September 2, 1901 – December 10, 1977) was an American college basketball coach. Nicknamed the "Baron of the Bluegrass", he coached the University of Kentucky Wildcats to four NCAA Division I men's basketball tournam ...

in basketball.

Playing career

Bruno was drafted by the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

in the third round of the 1951 NFL draft, but chose to play for the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

instead. He played two seasons for the Argonauts, one game for the

Ottawa Rough Riders The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded on September 19, 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup cham ...

, two seasons with the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

, and three seasons with the London Lords before a serious knee injury ended his playing career.

Coaching career

Bruno's coaching career began in 1958 a player-coach for the London Lords. After his playing career ended, he returned to Pennsylvania to teach and coach football at his alma mater West Chester High School. In 1966, he returned to Canada as an assistant coach with the

. He left the Riders in 1968 and joined the coaching staff of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. When head coach Joe Restic left to become head coach at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

, Bruno went with him to be the offensive coordinator. After 11 seasons as the Crimson's offensive coordinator, Bruno returned to Hamilton as Director of Player Personnel. In 1983, Bruno was named head coach after the firing of Bud Riley. The Tiger-Cats finished the season 2–1–1 and Bruno was given the coaching job permanently. Under Bruno's guidance, the Tiger-Cats appeared in the

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...

four times, winning one ( 1986). He was placed on an indefinite leave of absence after suffering a mild heart attack during the 1987 season. Defensive Coordinator Ted Schmitz served as interim head coach for six games before Bruno returned. Bruno was fired 12 games into the 1990 season. At the time of his firing the Tiger-Cats had a 4–8 record and were on a five-game losing streak. After scouting for the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

and the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

, Bruno was named the head coach of the New Mexico Rattlesnakes of the new Professional Spring Football League. The PSFL folded before play began. Bruno's final coaching job was at

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...

, where he served as head coach from 1994 to 1996. After his football career, Bruno and his wife, Marie, retired to Port Charlotte, Florida.

Death

In October 2014, Bruno was admitted into a Port Charlotte hospital with kidney problems, after having lost one kidney several years prior. He died of heart failure at the hospital on October 5, 2014.

Head coaching record

CFL

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruno, Al 1927 births 2014 deaths American football ends American men's basketball players Players of Canadian football from Pennsylvania Forwards (basketball) Buffalo Bills scouts Canadian Football League executives Hamilton Tiger-Cats coaches Harvard Crimson football coaches Kentucky Wildcats football players Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players Ontario Rugby Football Union players Toronto Argonauts coaches Kentucky Wildcats men's track and field athletes High school football coaches in Pennsylvania Sportspeople from West Chester, Pennsylvania People from Punta Gorda, Florida Sportspeople from Charlotte County, Florida Players of American football from Chester County, Pennsylvania Basketball players from Pennsylvania McMaster Marauders football coaches 20th-century American sportsmen