Coach Hughes has been an educator and coach since 1972. He taught Physical Education and History at De La Salle College "Oaklands" in Toronto from '72 to '84 after which he moved on to become Vice Principal at Cardinal Newman Catholic High School in Scarborough. He administered in secondary schools in Toronto and Durham Region until his retirement in 2002 from Notre Dame in Ajax.
He has been exclusively a football coach moving from teams at De La Salle to the Pickering Dolphins, then to the Chargers at Archbishop Denis O'Connor CHS.
He has been a member of the Cougars' coaching staff since the team's inception in '02. In fact there is a rumour that the coach retired from his Principal's chair because he knew he as long as he was in that capacity he would not have the time to be on the field with the players on a day to day basis.
When asked how much longer he'll coach, he quotes Gordie Howe when he says: "I'll keep doing it as long as I'm having fun", but then also adds "And as long as the current Principal lets me come back"!
