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14 Facts About Al Bruno

1.

Albert P Bruno was an American gridiron football player, administrator, and coach who served as the head coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 1983 to 1990.

2.

Al Bruno was born in 1927 in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

3.

Al Bruno played end on Kentucky Wildcats football team, played forward for the Wildcats basketball team, and was a member of the track team.

4.

Al Bruno is one of only three Wildcats to have played for Hall of Fame coaches Bear Bryant in football and Adolph Rupp in basketball.

5.

Al Bruno was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 1951 NFL draft, but chose to play for the Toronto Argonauts instead.

6.

Al Bruno played two seasons for the Argonauts, one game for the Ottawa Rough Riders, two seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and three seasons with the London Lords before a serious knee injury ended his playing career.

7.

Al Bruno's coaching career began in 1958 a player-coach for the London Lords.

8.

Al Bruno left the Riders in 1968 and joined the coaching staff of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

9.

When head coach Joe Restic left to become head coach at Harvard, Al Bruno went with him to be the offensive coordinator.

10.

In 1983, Al Bruno was named head coach after the firing of Bud Riley.

11.

Al Bruno was placed on an indefinite leave of absence after suffering a mild heart attack during the 1987 season.

12.

Al Bruno's final coaching job was at McMaster University, where he served as head coach from 1994 to 1996.

13.

In October 2014, Al Bruno was admitted into a Port Charlotte hospital with kidney problems, after having lost one kidney several years prior.

14.

Al Bruno died of heart failure at the hospital on October 5,2014.