Dave Skrien
Encyclopedia
David A. Skrien was a Canadian Football League
player and coach.
Skrien graduated from Morris High School (1946) and Minnesota
(1950) where he played fullback
and linebacker
. He played two seasons in the CFL before becoming a coach.
Skrien's first coaching job was at Albert Lea High School
where he spent one season as head coach. From there he served as an assistant at Ball State
and Minnesota
before returning to the CFL as the BC Lions
backfield coach in 1959. Skrien was elevated to the Lions' head coaching position during the 1961 season after an 0–6–1 start. In his six seasons as the Lions head coach, Skrien's teams had a record of 42–47–5 and played in two Grey Cup
Games, winning one (52nd
). He also won the Annis Stukus Trophy
in 1963 as the CFL coach of the year. Skrien was fired in 1967 after an 0–5 start.
After one season as an assistant coach at Boise State College, Skrien returned to the CFL as an assistant coach with the Edmonton Eskimos
. When head coach Neill Armstrong
left the Eskimos at the end of the season, management decided to promote the less experienced Ray Jauch
to the head coaching position and Skrien did not return to Edmonton.
On December 29, 1970, Skrien was hired by the Saskatchewan Roughriders
to replace head coach Eagle Keys
. In his two seasons in Regina, the Roughriders had a 16–14–1 record and made the 1972 Grey Cup. Skrien resigned following the 1972 season.
In 1975, Skrien was hired by former CFL coach and executive Leo Cahill
to coach the offensive backfield of the Memphis Southmen
, which included Larry Csonka
and Jim Kiick
. After the World Football League
folded, Skiren returned to his native Minnesota to coach Golden Valley Lutheran College. One of his players at GVLC was Nelson Simpson, who later wrestled under the name Nikita Koloff
. In 1988, Skiren returned to his alma mater Minnesota as a football administrative assistant and recruiting coordinator. He retired after the 1995 season, but remains involved with Golden Gophers football.
on November 30, 2010 due to complications from Alzheimer's disease
. He was 81 years old.
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
player and coach.
Skrien graduated from Morris High School (1946) and Minnesota
Minnesota Golden Gophers football
The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as...
(1950) where he played fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
and linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
. He played two seasons in the CFL before becoming a coach.
Skrien's first coaching job was at Albert Lea High School
Albert Lea, Minnesota
Albert Lea is a city in and the county seat of Freeborn County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 18,016 at the 2010 census....
where he spent one season as head coach. From there he served as an assistant at Ball State
Ball State Cardinals football
The Ball State Cardinals football team represents Ball State University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football competition as a member of the Mid-American Conference .-Recent history:...
and Minnesota
Minnesota Golden Gophers football
The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as...
before returning to the CFL as the BC Lions
BC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
backfield coach in 1959. Skrien was elevated to the Lions' head coaching position during the 1961 season after an 0–6–1 start. In his six seasons as the Lions head coach, Skrien's teams had a record of 42–47–5 and played in two Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
Games, winning one (52nd
52nd Grey Cup
The 52nd Grey Cup was hosted at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario on November 28, 1964. The BC Lions defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 34-24, the first Grey Cup victory for BC.-Bill Munsey on offence and defence:...
). He also won the Annis Stukus Trophy
Annis Stukus Trophy
The Annis Stukus Trophy is a Canadian Football League trophy, which is presented annually by the Edmonton Eskimos Alumni Association to the Coach of the Year, as determined by the members of the Football Reporters of Canada...
in 1963 as the CFL coach of the year. Skrien was fired in 1967 after an 0–5 start.
After one season as an assistant coach at Boise State College, Skrien returned to the CFL as an assistant coach with the Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
. When head coach Neill Armstrong
Neill Armstrong
Neill Ford Armstrong is a former American football player and coach whose career spanned more than 40 years at both the collegiate and professional levels....
left the Eskimos at the end of the season, management decided to promote the less experienced Ray Jauch
Ray Jauch
Ray Jauch was a coach in the Canadian Football League, USFL, and the Arena Football League.A star high school athlete, Jauch played running back for the 1958 National Champion University of Iowa Hawkeyes, leading the nation in yards per carry. He played in the 1959 Rose Bowl against California...
to the head coaching position and Skrien did not return to Edmonton.
On December 29, 1970, Skrien was hired by the Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
to replace head coach Eagle Keys
Eagle Keys
Eagle Keys is a former Canadian football player and coach and is currently the fifth most winningest Head Coach in the Canadian Football League...
. In his two seasons in Regina, the Roughriders had a 16–14–1 record and made the 1972 Grey Cup. Skrien resigned following the 1972 season.
In 1975, Skrien was hired by former CFL coach and executive Leo Cahill
Leo Cahill
Leo Cahill is a former head coach and general manager in the Canadian Football League, much of it spent with the Toronto Argonauts. Since 2004, Cahill has been serving as "goodwill ambassador" with the Argonauts. Has 5 children. Steve, Christy, Terry, Lisa and Bettye. He lives in Sarnia,...
to coach the offensive backfield of the Memphis Southmen
Memphis Southmen
The Memphis Southmen were a franchise in the World Football League which operated in 1974 and 1975. They played their home games at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee, United States.-From North to South:...
, which included Larry Csonka
Larry Csonka
Larry Richard Csonka is a former collegiate and professional American football fullback.-Childhood:One of six children, Csonka was born in Stow, Ohio where he was raised on a farm by his Hungarian family...
and Jim Kiick
Jim Kiick
James Forrest Kiick is a former professional American football running back, who is best known for playing halfback for the Miami Dolphins in the American Football League from 1968 to 1969 and in the National Football League from 1970 through 1974...
. After the World Football League
World Football League
The World Football League was a short-lived gridiron football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The...
folded, Skiren returned to his native Minnesota to coach Golden Valley Lutheran College. One of his players at GVLC was Nelson Simpson, who later wrestled under the name Nikita Koloff
Nikita Koloff
Nikita Koloff is a retired American professional wrestler,. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, he wrestled as "The Russian Nightmare" Nikita Koloff, which was a play on the nickname of fan favorite "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes .Nikita was brought into the National...
. In 1988, Skiren returned to his alma mater Minnesota as a football administrative assistant and recruiting coordinator. He retired after the 1995 season, but remains involved with Golden Gophers football.
Death
Skrien died in a nursing home in Mound, MinnesotaMound, Minnesota
Mound is a settlement in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. ZIP code: 55364. The population was 9,052 at the 2010 census. Mound is the birthplace of the Tonka truck, named after Lake Minnetonka. Mound is also the birthplace of actor Kevin Sorbo, who portrayed Hercules on the television...
on November 30, 2010 due to complications from Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
. He was 81 years old.
CFL coaching record
| Team | |Regular Season | BC BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954... |
1961 | 1 | 7 | 1 | .125 | 5th in Western Football Conference | - | - | Missed Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954... |
1962 | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4th in Western Football Conference | - | - | Missed Playoffs | ||
| BC BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954... |
1963 | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 1st in Western Football Conference | 2 | 2 | Lost Grey Cup | ||
| BC BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954... |
1964 | 11 | 2 | 3 | .846 | 1st in Western Football Conference | 3 | 1 | Won Grey Cup | ||
| BC BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954... |
1965 | 6 | 9 | 1 | .400 | 4th in Western Football Conference | - | - | Missed Playoffs | ||
| BC BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954... |
1966 | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 5th in Western Football Conference | - | - | Missed Playoffs | ||
| BC BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954... |
1967 | 0 | 5 | 0 | .000 | 5th in Western Football Conference | - | - | Fired | ||
| SSK Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor... |
1971 | 9 | 6 | 1 | .600 | 2nd in Western Football Conference | 1 | 2 | Lost in Conference Finals | ||
| SSK Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor... |
1972 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3rd in Western Football Conference | 2 | 1 | Lost Grey Cup |