TORONTO — The Canadian Football League lost a legendary presence on Saturday with the passing of coach Dave Ritchie. The 85-year-old spent time with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, BC Lions and Montreal Alouettes. He led the BC Lions to a Grey Cup win in 1994 and his 108 career wins are seventh-most in CFL history.
Ritchie was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2022.
An outpouring of love and support for Ritchie came from across the league over the weekend.
The Blue Bombers issued the following statement:
“Dave Ritchie was a respected leader during his days as Blue Bombers head coach and in his other coaching positions across the Canadian Football League, in the NCAA and in Europe,” said Blue Bombers president & CEO Wade Miller. “He had a passion for his players and his teams and led both to great success. The Winnipeg Football Club offers our deepest sympathies to his wife Sharon, Dave’s family, and his many friends.”
Ritchie served two terms on the Blue Bombers coaching staff, first joining the team in 1990 and working on Mike Riley’s coaching staff as a defensive line and special teams coach and being a part of the Grey Cup championship team that season. He left after the 1991 season and then returned in 1999 after being named head coach.
The Blue Bombers would make a massive turnaround under Ritchie’s watch from 1999-2004, improving from 3-15 before his arrival in 1998 to 6-12 in his first season, a 7-10-1 record in 2000 and a berth in the East Final to a 14-4 mark and divisional championship in 2001. He was named the CFL’s Coach of the Year in 2001.
Ritchie’s Blue Bombers teams would amass a 52-44-1 record under his watch, that win total now ranking fourth in club history after Bud Grant (102), Mike O’Shea (96) and Cal Murphy (86). Ritchie also served as head coach of the BC Lions (1993-1995), winning a Grey Cup with the team in 1994, and with the Montreal Alouettes (1997-1998), retiring with 108 career wins – seventh-most in CFL history.
He was inducted into the Winnipeg Football Club Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2022.
RITCHIE, SEEN HERE WITH HIS WIFE, SHARON, AT THE CANADIAN FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CEREMONIES IN 2022 (THE CANADIAN PRESS)
The Lions shared the following statement:
“Coach Ritchie was a champion at heart who represented the BC Lions with the utmost class and professionalism. Anyone who had the good fortune to work with him was better for it. He will be dearly missed by everyone across the Canadian Football League,” said Lions co-general manager and director of football operations Neil McEvoy.
Ritchie served as Lions head coach from 1993-95 and would engineer one of the greatest turnarounds in CFL history, inheriting a squad that finished 3-15 in the year prior to his arrival and moulding them into Grey Cup champions in the unforgettable 1994 season. Ritchie’s 31 victories are good for sixth all-time among Lion head coaches.
Following head coaching stints in Montreal (1997-1998) and Winnipeg (1999-2004), Ritchie returned to the Lions as defensive coordinator from 2005-2007, earning a second Grey Cup ring with the organization in 2006. Ritchie was inducted to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame as part of the 2022 class while his 1994 Grey Cup champions are enshrined on the BC Lions Wall of Fame.
The Alouettes shared a statement on Ritchie as well:
The Montreal Alouettes are saddened by the passing of former head coach Dave Ritchie at the age of 85-years-old.
Ritchie was the defensive backs coach with the Montreal Concordes (1983-1987) before becoming the Montreal Alouettes head coach in 1997-1998. He then coached the Blue Bombers for six seasons (1999-2004). He was named the CFL’s Coach of the Year in 2001.
Ritchie was the head coach of the BC Lions (1993-1995), winning a Grey Cup with the team in 1994, retiring with 108 career wins – seventh-most in CFL history. In his career, he hoisted three Grey Cups.
CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie added his condolences, as did many of those who had crossed paths with the coach in their careers.