Matt Dunigan
Edmonton Eskimos | |
| 1988–1989 | BC Lions |
|---|---|
| 1990–1991 | Toronto Argonauts |
| 1992–1994 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
| 1995 | Birmingham Barracudas |
| 1996 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| CFL All-Star | 1985, 1988, 1995 |
| CFL East All-Star | 1994 |
| CFL West All-Star | 1985, 1988 |
| Awards | 1989 Tom Pate Memorial Award 1993 Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy |
| Career stats | |
| Passing | 3,057/5,476 |
| Passing % | 55.8% |
| Passing Yardage | 43,857 (Avg: 8.0) |
| Passing TDs | 303 |
| Interceptions | 211 |
Matt Dunigan (born December 6, 1960) is an
In 2008, he was named the host of Road Grill, a Canadian barbecue cooking series on
Early years and college career
Although born in Ohio, Dunigan was raised in Dallas, Texas, attended Lake Highlands High School and grew up admiring Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach. A member of an athletically inclined family, he enrolled at Louisiana Tech University in 1979, while Tech was classified as an NCAA Division I-A program. In 1982, Dunigan's senior season, Louisiana Tech began play in Division I-AA.
In his freshman year, Dunigan played in eight games behind incumbent starting quarterback Mark Buchanan. Dunigan was named the starting quarterback for the 1980 season by newly hired head coach Billy Brewer. Dunigan's best collegiate season was in 1982 as a senior, going 222–413 for 2,843 yards, 23 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Dunigan led the Bulldogs to a 9–2 regular season record, an undefeated 5–0 record in the Southland Conference, a #2 ranking in The Sports Network poll, and the program's first ever berth in the Division I-AA playoffs. After a 38–3 quarterfinal win at home against South Carolina State, the Bulldogs were eliminated from the playoffs in a 17–0 semifinal loss at home to Delaware.
In 44 total games at Louisiana Tech, Dunigan had completed 550 of 1,103 pass attempts for 7,010 yards with 40 touchdowns against 50 interceptions. Dunigan was inducted into the Louisiana Tech University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.
Statistics
| Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||
| GP | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |
| 1979 | 11 | 3–8 | 26 | 59 | 44.1 | 330 | 2 | 6 | 81.9 | 42 | 31 | 0.7 | 1 |
| 1980 | 11 | 5–6 | 149 | 313 | 47.6 | 1,939 | 9 | 13 | 100.8 | 117 | -73 | -0.6 | 4 |
| 1981 | 11 | 4–6–1 | 153 | 318 | 48.1 | 1,898 | 6 | 16 | 94.4 | 107 | 54 | 0.5 | 2 |
| 1982 | 11 | 9–2 | 222 | 413 | 53.7 | 2,843 | 23 | 15 | 122.7 | 114 | 113 | 0.9 | 2 |
| Career | 44 | 21–22–1 | 550 | 1,103 | 7,010 | 49.8 | 40 | 50 | 106.1 | 380 | 125 | 0.3 | 9 |
Professional career
Dunigan broke into the CFL in 1983 with the
After the
While Edmonton held on to his rights, they traded him to the
When he arrived in Toronto, they made the
He left for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers the following season, where he spent the next three years. The Bombers went to the Grey Cup in 1992, only to lose to the Calgary Stampeders. They returned to the Grey Cup in 1993, and lost to the Edmonton Eskimos. Dunigan watched the 1993 Grey Cup on crutches, after tearing his Achilles tendon. However, the season saw him break a club record throwing for 36 touchdowns. On July 14, 1994, he made pro football history when he passed for 713 yards in a 50–35 victory over his former team, the Eskimos.
In 1995, the CFL made an attempt to further expand into the United States. The Memphis Mad Dogs tried pursuing Dunigan, but eventually landed Damon Allen. Dunigan landed in Birmingham to play for the Barracudas. This led to his best season statistically, as he passed for 4,911 yards and 34 touchdowns. In the home finale, he broke his throwing hand and watched the rest of the season from the sidelines. The Barracudas would lose in the playoffs to the San Antonio Texans. The American experiment failed, and all the U.S.-based teams folded. The lone exception was the Baltimore Stallions which relocated to Montreal, Quebec.
1996 proved to be Dunigan's last season in the CFL, this time with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The TiCats finished third in their division, and lost in the first round of the playoffs. After the season, he retired due to chronic head injuries.
Dunigan finished his career with 43,857
Post-football career
After his retirement, Dunigan spent some time at Valdosta State University as their football team's offensive coordinator.
In
In 2004, the Calgary Stampeders lured Dunigan away from TSN and hired him to be their general manager and head coach. After a disappointing 2004 campaign for Calgary, however, Dunigan was fired, and he returned to his job as a television analyst with TSN.
In 2006, on a dare from his family, Dunigan auditioned for the position as host of a barbecue TV series Road Grill, which premièred in 2008 with him as host. He has also become a cookbook author, using recipes based on the show.[2][3]
Dunigan is outspoken about the
CFL coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Result | ||||
| CGY | 2004 | 4 | 14 | 0 | .222 | 5th in West Division | – | – | Missed Playoffs | ||
References
- ^ a b "TSN Top 50 Players". TSN.ca. November 28, 2006. Retrieved July 14, 2007.
- ^ "Matt Dunigan". Hosts. Food Network. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
- ^ Anderson, Mark (May 15, 2008). "Grilling Matt Dunigan". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on August 17, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
- ^ "CFL legend Dunigan faced tough choice in concussion crusade | The Star". Toronto Star.
