I was saddened to hear of the passing of legendary CFL coach Dave Ritchie at age 85. With the Lions, Ritchie was best remembered as longtime defensive coordinator and secondary coach, but he was also head coach for the 1994 B.C. team that defeated the Baltimore Football Team in the first international Grey Cup at B.C. Place. Those of us in the stadium were on our feet for most of the game, especially in the second half as the Lions staged a late comeback.
RIP Dave Ritchie (September 3, 1938 – March 9, 2024)
Re: Dave Ritchie
Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2024 4:17 pm
by SammyGreene
Great man and coach. A defensive mastermind who returned to BC to help his good friend Wally as DC culminating with the Grey Cup in 2006. Remember his Monday night coach’s show with JP McConnell and Dave’s wife was a regular caller.
Re: Dave Ritchie
Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2024 5:07 pm
by DanoT
Ritchie was a genuine character who wore his emotions on his sleeve. A great coach too.
Re: Dave Ritchie
Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2024 5:23 pm
by Toppy Vann
What a great coach, person and role model for young coaches both as a HC and BC Lions DC where he had injured players signaling and false signaling in the way that kept their heads in the game.
Although I was at the GC '94 the WDF vs Calgary produced the most thrilling football on TV I've seen.
This was not long after Cory Philpot's great run that led to his fumble that seemed to doom BC. Players were frozen and that ball was hard to hold for some who must have felt cold more than others. Then BC blocks the FG and the BC goes down the field in impossible conditions on passes and wins.
Doug Flutie for Calgary was done.
This clip has Dave Ritchie screaming at his coach fearing a penalty.
I am very saddened to read of the news of Dave Ritchie's passing. He was one of my very favorite Leos coaches and CFL coaches ever. Great respect.
Retired sportscaster and longtime voice of the Bombers, Bob Irving got to know Ritchie well during his time in Winnipeg, hosting a regular coach's show with him and covering Bombers games and practices.
"He really left his mark with the Blue Bombers. He carved out a special niche in Blue Bombers history," Irving said "Dave was a winner. He was a classic player's coach. He could be strict and stern with them one minute, and the next minute he'd have his arm around them telling them how much he loved them, and that's just the way he was. The players respected him immensely and so did the media."
I consider Don Matthews and Dave Ritchie as the CFL's two greatest defensive minds. Like Don Matthews, Dave Ritchie was incredibly innovative and masterful as a defensive coordinator. I have always believed we won the 2006 Grey Cup due to him, more than any single Leo, coach or player.
Sometimes gruff and to the point, Ritchie also had a soft side, especially with his players. And away from the field, Ritchie, his Massachusetts accent very evident, had a very dry but infectious sense of humour. In relaxed settings with reporters, Ritchie would share entertaining and often funny stories from his long football career.
Blue Bombers legend Milt Stegall fondly remembers the "family atmosphere" his former coach created with players. Part of that camaraderie between the players and their coach was Thanksgiving dinners Ritchie hosted with his wife, Sharon. "A lot of coaches don't want to do that.… They don't want to get too close to their players because they know one day, that they may have to, for lack of a better term, fire. But Coach Ritchie didn't care about that," Stegall told CBC on Saturday.
Stegall said Ritchie will be remembered as the man who brought the Blue Bombers out of some tough times, but it's the moments off the turf he'll reflect on most.
"I want to convey just how great of an individual and how great of a family atmosphere he created," said Stegall. "Those were the most important things, and those were the things that I'll cherish and remember more so than just about anything that happened on the football field."
CBC News
Dave Ritchie answered both the 'what' and the 'who' in terms of life success.
Re: Dave Ritchie
Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2024 1:55 pm
by DanoT
I agree with Blitz about Mathews and Ritchie having great Defensive minds; arguably the best ever in the CFL. They are both my 2 favourite Lions coaches.
Re: Dave Ritchie
Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2024 2:41 pm
by don corleone
Sad facts.
Currently, 2.3% of the population is aged 85 and older. Apr 27, 2022
Dave Ritchie was a man who loved life. He won't be complaining about being short changed
Re: Dave Ritchie
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2024 8:31 am
by Toppy Vann
Well said Blitz. Some nice comments from former players!