OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – He’s the man that helped this city’s football team win a pair of Grey Cups and now Wally Buono is getting the country’s highest civilian honour.

The legendary CFL figure is now a Member of the Order of Canada.

Buono spent nine years as a player in Montreal before a long coaching career in Calgary and then Vancouver.

He’s got roots in all three cities.

“I’m proud to be Canadian, I always have been. Obviously when you get recognized within your own country for whatever good you’ve done or if you’ve made it better, it makes you tremendously proud and pleased to be a Canadian,” says the 65-year-old.

Buono won seven Grey Cups as a player, coach and GM but this is the biggest honour of his career.

“I don’t to say unworthy, because this is a great honour and I think you have to accept it with great humility. But to be a football coach and be a football player and a GM and to get an award like this that has only been given to just over six-thousand people in Canada, is quite amazing and for me, it’s quite humbling.”

Normally not shy of the spotlight, he’s out of his comfort zone on stage in Ottawa.

“You accept the recognition graciously and proudly but you’d have to pull me to come here because it’s not really something I’m comfortable at doing.”

Buono joins 34 other people being given the same honour today, including singer Chantal Kreviazuk.

Nine others became Officers of the Order of Canada.

The Order was established in 1967, to recognize outstanding achievement and dedication to the community.

Here is a list of the latest additions and promotions in the Order of Canada:

Companions:

James Douglas Fleck, Toronto. This is a promotion within the order.

Donald Malcolm McRae, Ottawa.

Richard W. Pound, Montreal. This is a promotion within the order.

Officers

Albert Bandar, Stanford, Calif. and Mundare, Alta.

Jean-Louis Baudouin, Montreal.

Mark Carney, London, U.K. and Ottawa.

Catherine Frazee, Canning, N.S.

Shaf Keshavjee, Toronto.

Mark Lautens, Toronto.

Wendy Levinson, Toronto.

Norman Emilio Marcon, Toronto.

James Rodger Miller, Saskatoon, Sask.

Peter Milliken, Elginburg, Ont.

Julio Montaner, Vancouver, B.C.

Nancy Margaret Reid, Toronto.

Eleanor Wachtel, Toronto. This is a promotion within the order.

Members:

Caroline Andrew, Ottawa.

Jean-Pierre Andrieux, St. John’s, N.L.

Jacob Austin, Vancouver, B.C.

Baidar Bakht, Scarborough, Ont.

Denis Brott, Saint-Sauveur, Que.

Lisa Brown, Toronto.

Wally Buono, Surrey, B.C.

Peter Calamai, Ottawa.

Christina Stuart Cameron, Ottawa.

Wendy Marion Cecil, Toronto.

Brenda Clark, Port Hope, Ont.

Robert Cecil Cole, St. John’s, N.L.

Tim Cook, Ottawa.

George Cope, Toronto.

Robert W. Cox, Toronto and Waterloo, Ont.

A. Gordon Craig, Toronto.

John W. Crichton, Manotick, Ont.

Conrad Charles Daellenbach, Toronto.

Patrick Dolan Darrah, Saint John, N.B.

Michael DeGagné, North Bay, Ont. and Ottawa.

Jean-Guy Desjardins, Westmount, Que.

Alba DiCenso, Campbellville, Ont.

Edgar J. Dosman, Toronto.

Joanne M. Sullivan Douglas, Vancouver, B.C.

Barry V. Downs, Vancouver, B.C.

Louise Dupré, Montreal.

Simon Durivage, Montreal.

Kappy Flanders, Montreal.

Charles Foran, Toronto.

Julia E. Foster, Toronto.

Raymonde Gagné, Winnipeg.

Brenda Louise Gallie, Toronto.

Serge Gauthier, Montreal.

Aurélien Gill, Mashteuiatsh, Que.

James K. Gordon, Sudbury, Ont.

William C. Graham, Toronto.

John Grew, Montreal.

Christophe Guy, Montreal.

Thomas Jon Harle, Ottawa.

Frank Hasenfratz, Guelph, Ont.

Adèle M. Hurley, Toronto.

Joan F. Ivory, Westmount, Que.

Patrick Johnston, Roslin, Ont.

John G. Kelton, Dundas, Ont.

Sheldon Kennedy, Calgary, Alta.

Laurence Klotz, Toronto.

Chantal Kreviazuk, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. and Toronto.

Normand Laprise, Mont-Royal, Que.

John Barker Lawson, Toronto.

Suzie LeBlanc, Montreal.

Grégoire Legendre, Québec City.

Jens Lindemann, Pacific Palisades, California, U.S. A. and Edmonton, Alta.

Keith MacLellan, Bristol, Que.

Michael I. M. MacMillan, Toronto.

Raine Maida, Los Angeles, California, U.S. A. and Toronto.

Thomas J. Marrie, Halifax.

John G. McAvity, Ottawa.

Susan McGrath, Toronto.

Jeremy Nichol McNeil, London, Ont.

Michael A. Meighen, Toronto.

Robert Mellin, St. John’s, N.L.

Diane Morin, Charlemagne, Que.

Russell J. Morrison, Toronto.

Peter Ernest Murdoch, Roxboro, Que.

Dan Needles, Ottawa.

Cal Nichols, Edmonton.

John Palmer, Toronto.

Charles E. Pascal, Toronto.

Michael Phillips, Shanghai, China and Hamilton, Ont.

Ervin Podgorsak, Brossard, Que.

John R. Porter, Quebec City.

Gary Slaight, Toronto.

H. Olav Slaymaker, Vancouver, B.C.

Robyn Tamblyn, Montreal.

Jean-Claude Tardif, Montreal.

Lorraine Vaillancourt, Montreal.

Eric Robert Walters, Mississauga, Ont.

H. Bruce Williams, Montreal.

Catherine Zahn, Toronto.