Maciocia felt stressed out and experienced chest pains late in the regular season and wanted medical assurances that his job wasn't causing him medical problems. Fortunately Maciocia received a clean bill of health, giving him some peace of mind this year while his 5-9 team struggles to make the CFL playoffs.

``I just wanted to make sure I had a clean bill of health because I was struggling with my sleep,'' he said. ``In this job, you're up early in the morning and there's a pressure to perform.

``You don't eat regularly and have a tendency to eat late, which is not healthy. I think I can make a general statement that regardless of where you are there's pressure and when you factor a place like this where the expectations are what they are, it doubles. I wanted to make sure even though I was 38, I should still get it checked and it's something that has helped me immensely this year.''

Long hours, few days off, often living on fast food and facing relentless pressure to win and keep your job are just a few of the challenges Maciocia and other coaches constantly face.

On Wednesday, Don Matthews, the winningest head coach in CFL history, resigned as Montreal Alouettes head coach due to unspecified health concerns. Five years earlier, Matthews left Edmonton amid similar circumstances.

But Matthews, 67, certainly isn't the first CFL coach to experience health problems.

Two years ago, Wally Buono, the B.C. Lions head coach and GM, had triple bypass surgery. Earlier that year, Dave Ritchie, the former Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach now serving as Buono's defensive co-ordinator, underwent quadruple bypass.

In 2000, Jim Daley, then the Calgary Stampeders defensive co-ordinator, experienced chest pains while running. Tests showed his coronary artery was 90 per cent blocked while two others were 80 per cent blocked.

And prior to the '92 season, Cal Murphy, the former Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach and GM, became ill and required a heart transplant.

``You always sense nothing is going to happen to you,'' Maciocia said. ``When you're single, maybe you feel you're indestructible but in my case I took a step back and thought about my family.

``I've got my wife and two young daughters at home and I told myself I owed it to them to get it checked out.''

There are many reasons why football coaches like Maciocia willingly endure such hardships.

First, they all have a deep love of the game and enjoy the camaraderie. The pay in the CFL is decent _ entry-level head coaches earn about $150,000 and salaries can rise up to the $400,000 Matthews reportedly made in Montreal. Most assistants make anywhere from $40,000 to $80,000.

``There are a lot of rewards with the job,'' said Toronto Argonauts GM/offensive co-ordinator Adam Rita, who has been the head coach of four different CFL teams. ``First, you get to work with some really decent staff people and you get a chance to work with some really interesting athletes.

``In our league, the athletes have a bit more freedom and time on their hands so you have to teach them to be more disciplined because they have to do a lot of things on their own. That's what makes the CFL unique.''

But it comes at a price.

During the season, coaches often spend between 12 and 16 hours in the office reviewing game film, attending meetings, organzing and running practices and formulating game plans. CFL teams do have two bye weeks so coaches get some down time during the season, but otherwise days off are few and far between.

NFL head coaches like Dick Vermeil and Washington's Joe Gibbs, both admitted burnout victims, made it trendy for coaches to sleep in their office and put in 18- to 20-hour days.

That's what Rita did in '97, his first year as the B.C. Lions head coach. But he resigned midway through the following season because he wasn't ``feeling right.''

``For me, it was very hard,'' Rita said. ``You've got to know when you've got to give it (coaching) up for a little bit or forever.''

Both Maciocia and Rita spend, on average, between 12 and 14 hours in the office daily during the season, although they go about it in different ways.

Maciocia gets into his office around 7 a.m. and usually isn't ready to head home until sometime between 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Rita begins his day around 9 a.m. and tries to head home around 7 p.m. After spending a few hours catching up with family, Rita gets back to football business at around midnight and goes to about 3 a.m.

``You're talking about a period from the start of May until the end of November where it's really intense,'' Maciocia said. ``After that, everything seems to fall back into a sense of normality.

``But there's nothing normal about (the season) . . . every day feels like a Monday and every day you're in for a minimum of 12 hours and there's not much else going on in your life other than football. That's where it gets scary.''

Maciocia and Rita agree that staying fit is one way to combat the job-related stress.

``I get up at about 5:15 a.m. and do about a half-hour workout at least three times a week and it makes a world of difference,'' said Maciocia. ``You're charged up, you're sharp and have so much more energy.''

Another key, Maciocia said, is not taking work home.

``When I get home I want to know how my wife's day was, and particularly, those of my kids,'' he said. ``When I walk through that door I'm a husband and father and that's all I am.''