George Brancato is a former football player and coach.
Both an
offensiveIn sports, offense or offence , also known as attack, is the action of attacking or engaging an opposing team with the objective of scoring points or goals...
and
defensiveIn many team sports, defense or defence is the action of preventing an opponent from scoring. The term may also refer to the tactics involved in defense, or a sub-team whose primary responsibility is defense...
player in college, he played 5 games for the
Chicago CardinalsThe Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
during the
1954 NFL seasonThe 1954 NFL season was the 35th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended when the Cleveland Browns defeated the Detroit Lions in the NFL Championship Game.-Major rule changes:...
. He rushed the ball twice for 26 yards and caught three passes for 28 yards. In
1955The 1955 NFL season was the 36th regular season of the National Football League. NBC paid $100,000 to replace DuMont as the national television network for the NFL Championship Game...
he played in the Cardinals'
defensive backIn American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
field. He joined the
Montreal AlouettesThe Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
of the
Canadian Football LeagueThe 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....
as halfback for the
1956 season-Canadian Football News in 1956:On Sunday, January 22, the Canadian Football Council was formed in Winnipeg and the national negotiation list was introduced. G. Sydney Halter, QC was named as the Canadian Football Council Commissioner....
. He played defensive back for the
Ottawa Rough RidersThe Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
for seven seasons, occasionally playing on offense.
After his retirement, he taught at
MontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
's
Loyola High SchoolLoyola High School is a private Catholic school for boys in grades 7–11 located in Montreal . The School was established in 1896 by the Society of Jesus as part of Loyola College, at the request of the English Catholic community in Montreal. It is named after St...
before returning to
OttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
as an assistant coach. In
1974The 1974 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 21st season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 17th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1974:...
he was promoted to head coach after Coach of the Year
Jack GottaJack Gotta is a former professional football player, coach, and general manager.Gotta played Tight End at Oregon State in 1952 and Hamilton Air Force Base from 1954-1956. He signed with the Cleveland Browns in 1956, but was cut and played with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football...
left to become head coach and
general managerGeneral manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
of the
World Football LeagueThe 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...
's
Birmingham AmericansThe Birmingham Americans were a professional American football team located in Birmingham, Alabama. They were members of the four-team Central Division of the World Football League . The Americans, founded in late December 1973, played in the upstart league's inaugural season in 1974...
. In
1975The 1975 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 22nd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 18th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1975:...
he won the
Annis Stukus TrophyThe 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...
as CFL's Coach of the Year after a first place 10-5-1 finish. The following season he defeated the
Saskatchewan RoughridersThe 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...
23-20 in the
64th Grey CupThe 64th Grey Cup was played on November 28, 1976, before 53,467 fans at the Exhibition Stadium at Toronto. The Ottawa Rough Riders defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders by the score 23 to 20 in what is considered one of the most thrilling Grey Cup games and with perhaps the most exciting plays in...
. After a 4-12
1984 seasonThe 1984 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 31st season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 27th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1984:...
he was relieved of his coaching duties and appointed director of player personnel.
In 1989 he was hired to coach the
Chicago BruisersThe Chicago Bruisers were a charter member of the Arena Football League, playing in the four-team "demonstration season" of 1987. They played their home games in the former Rosemont Horizon, now the Allstate Arena, home of the Chicago Rush.-History:...
of the
Arena Football LeagueThe Arena Football League is the highest level of professional indoor American football in the United States. It is currently the second longest running professional football league in the United States, after the National Football League. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster...
. After the team folded he served as an assistant under
Ernie Stautner-References:* * *-External links:*...
with the expansion
Dallas TexansThe Dallas Texans was an Arena Football League team that played from 1990 to 1993.-History:The team was based in Dallas, Texas. They played their home games in the Reunion Arena, which they shared with the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. The team made the ArenaBowl their...
.
He returned to Ottawa in
1993The 1993 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 40th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 36th Canadian Football League season.-CFL news in 1993:...
as Ron Smeltzer's special teams and
secondaryIn American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
coach. The following season he served as the
offensive coordinatorAn offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
of the
Shreveport PiratesThe Shreveport Pirates were a Canadian Football League team, playing at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA, in 1994 and 1995....
. His next coaching job was as
Defensive coordinatorA defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
of the
Anaheim PiranhasThe Anaheim Piranhas were a professional arena football team that played in the Arena Football League from 1994 - 1997. They played their home games at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. The team was originally known as the Las Vegas Sting, prior to moving to Anaheim in 1996. The team was owned...
. In 1999 he returned to the AFL with the
Florida BobcatsThe Florida Bobcats are a defunct Arena Football League team. They had been previously known as the Sacramento Attack and the Miami Hooters.-Sacramento Attack :...
as the team's defensive coordinator. It was his final coaching job as he retired at the end of the season.