MIKE O'SHEA
Special Teams Coordinator

Mike O’Shea entered the coaching realm in 2010 as the Toronto Argonauts Special Teams Coordinator.  2010 was a memorable one on specials teams as dynamic returner Chad Owens was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player, a CFL All-Star and a CFLPA All-Star, setting various club records.  The Argos special teams unit executed many memorable plays, returned five kicks for touchdowns and saw captain Bryan Crawford lead the league in ST tackles.

For years, Mike O’Shea was the stalwart of the Toronto Argonauts’ defence and special teams. He was the undisputed leader inside the locker room and, as a team captain, he was recognized by fans throughout the CFL as the admiral of the Argos’ stone wall defence and relished his role on special teams. O’Shea played 16 CFL seasons, including 12 with the Argonauts and four with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and won three Grey Cup championships (1996-1997, 2004) all with Toronto.

#50 was a coaches’ player who always put the game and his teammates first. He knew the playbook front to back and because of his hard work, he commanded respect from rookies and veterans alike. He played in 271 regular season CFL games, the most ever by a defensive player, 18 playoff games and three Grey Cup games. He is second on the CFL’s all-time tackles list with 1,151 and is the Argos’ all-time leader in regular season and Grey Cup defensive tackles with 822 and 15 respectively. He is second on the team’s all-time games played list with 205. The native of North Bay, Ontario was a five-time East Division All-Star (1994-1995, 1997, 1999, 2000) and was named a CFL All-Star and the league’s Most Outstanding Canadian in 1999. In 2006, O’Shea became the first Canadian ever to make at least 1,000 tackles in a career and in 2007 he was named an All-Time Argo at linebacker.

An advocate for his teammates, O’Shea was a CFLPA player rep. for many years with the Argonauts and upon leaving the game, he accepted the position of 1st Vice President for the Players’ Association. There, he teamed with former teammate and friend Mike Morreale to ensure that CFL players always had a voice and that their interests weren’t overlooked.

Mike is an alumnus of the University of Guelph and is a member of the Guelph Gryphons Sports Hall of Fame. Mike and wife Richere live in Milton, Ontario with their three children: Michael, Ailish and Aisling.