Game over: Legendary football coach retires

What has distinguished Baillie as a coach is his superb knowledge of the game and its many intricacies, and the tremendous amount of respect he has commanded from his players.

"Coach Baillie is like an institution at McGill. He'll be remembered forever," says former Redman turned Seattle Seahawk J.P. Darche. "He knows the game inside and out and is a great teacher and leader. I'm fortunate to have played for him."

Baillie's football wisdom has been cultivated throughout the course of a 47-year involvement in the game. Prior to becoming a coach, Baillie, now 65, enjoyed a successful nine-year professional career with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. After stints as an assistant coach with the Redmen and as a coach with Sir George Williams University (now Concordia), he was named McGill's head coach for the 1972 season.

Charlie Baillie with kids from the McGill sports camp

Baillie's penchant for football isn't surprising considering his pedigree. Part of an extremely athletic family -- brother Dave was a three-time Olympian in weightlifting in 1952, '56 and '60, and twin brother Ray competed in football and hockey -- he was profoundly influenced by his father Don, who played for the Redmen between 1919 and 1923. His interest in football was also developed at a young age by his childhood reverence for Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard, nicknamed the Touchdown Twins, who both starred for Army in U.S. college ball in the 1940s. An autographed photo of the two football legends still sits in his office, nestled among the countless memorabilia acquired during the course of his career.

"Those guys were heroes to us then, as were some of the McGill players like Murray Hayes and Dr. Alan Mann whom I watched growing up," Baillie recalls with a nostalgic smile. "I still love the game now as I did then. Though I never looked at football as a career, I always had it in my mind as a player that I wanted to coach. It's been a rewarding experience."

Unknown to many, Baillie, who has coached 28 CIAU All-Canadians, 100 Academic All-Canadians and 17 future professionals, inherited a McGill football program in crisis. The team folded briefly after the 1970 season before being rescued by alumni donations. With the program still on the bubble, Baillie's presence and hard work ensured its stability over the course of the next three decades.

"The challenge when I initially came on was to rebuild the program," says Baillie, who juggled his coaching duties with full-time work at Northern Electric (now Nortel Networks) until 1990. "We were eventually able to field some good teams in the '70s into the '80s. The challenge now and for my successor will be to maintain a nationally competitive team."