John Hufnagel wins his second Annis Stukus Trophy as CFL coach of the year, another reflection of the Stampeders' historic season

It's a good thing John Hufnagel didn't leave this year's coach of the year banquet early. Unlike in 2013, the Calgary Stampeders' head coach and general manager stuck around to the end Wednesday, and he was rewarded with the Annis Stukus Trophy as the league's top coach. Hufnagel's an incredibly deserving winner, considering that he put together one of the most dominant seasons in CFL history, and that he did so despite massive injury adversity. This wasn't a sure victory for him, though, as there was also a strong case for Edmonton's Chris Jones and the turnaround he performed (the Eskimos went from a basement-dwelling 4-14 team to 12-6 with a West Final appearance). In the end, however, Hufnagel's work with the Stampeders was tough to top.

What Calgary accomplished this year would have been remarkable all by itself. The Stampeders went 15-3 (tied for the second-most wins in a CFL season), with one loss coming after they'd already locked up first place. They led the league in points for and were second in points against, and they and went on to win the Grey Cup. However, the circumstances under which their success came are even more amazing, and they speak well of the coaching job Hufnagel did. Consider that in the 2013-14 offseason, the Stampeders lost their defensive coordinator (Rick Campbell), offensive line coach (Mike Gibson), linebackers coach (Don Yanowsky), their primary starting quarterback in 2013 (Kevin Glenn), two offensive linemen (Jon Gott and J'Michael Deane) and their starting safety (Eric Fraser), and that was just to the expansion Ottawa Redblacks. They entered the season with a lot of new faces, they battled through plenty of injuries (including losing reigning league most outstanding player Jon Cornish for nine games), and they managed to not just defend their 14-4 record from 2013, but improve on it, posting an even better regular season and then victories in the West Final and the Grey Cup. Doing that despite the turnover and injuries is outstanding.

Of course, finalists Jones and Montreal head coach Tom Higgins had their own impressive cases. Jones revitalized an Edmonton team that was one of the worst in the league last year, and his Eskimos posted a 12-6 record that was second-best only to Calgary. A lot of that was directly attributable to his coaching, too, especially on defence. In 2013, the Eskimos allowed 519 points, the second-highest total in the CFL. In 2014, with Jones coming in as a rookie head coach, they allowed a league-low 340. Higgins pulled off a remarkable turnaround himself, too, helping the Alouettes recover from a 1-6 start and taking them to a 9-9 finish and an East Final appearance, and he made bold decisions along the way, particularly benching quarterback Troy Smith in favour of Jonathon Crompton. Still, Hufnagel's work in 2014 stood out. This was the perfect way to cap off a remarkable year for him, and he's a very deserving winner.