Kevin Sousa/CFL.ca
TORONTO – The Toronto Argonauts will have their captain steering the ship for the foreseeable future.
Toronto signed head coach Ryan Dinwiddie to a multi-year extension to continue leading the Boatmen, the team announced on Tuesday.
Dinwiddie is in the midst of his third season as head coach and has had tremendous success as a first-time leader of a CFL team. The California native guided the Argos to a 9-5 record and an East Division crown in his first season at the helm, while being named a finalist for CFL Coach of the Year.
In 2022 he was once again named East Coach of the Year, winning the East Division with a 11-7 record. Dinwiddie led the Argos to a win against Montreal in the Division Final before capturing their 18th Grey Cup championship with a victory over Winnipeg in November.
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This season sees Toronto at 3-0 for the first time since 1991, while the offence is averaging 40 points per game under his guidance.
“I am beyond thrilled to sign an extension to stay in Toronto and to continue building a winning culture here in the city,” said Dinwiddie. “My family loves it here, the organization and fans have been so accommodating and supporting of us. We are building something special here and I want to thank the Argonauts organization for giving me this opportunity.”
The former quarterback was hired by Toronto in December of 2019 and had to wait 20 months to coach his first game as head coach, a 23-20 win over his former team the Calgary Stampeders. Dinwiddie coached quarterbacks in Calgary from 2015-2020, helping the Stampeders reach the Grey Cup three consecutive times, winning in 2018.
Prior to his time in Calgary, Dinwiddie served under various roles with Montreal from 2013-2015, including running backs coach and offensive coordinator. The Boise State product played quarterback in the CFL between 2006-2011 with Winnipeg and Saskatchewan after stops with the Chicago Bears and Hamburg Sea Devils (European League of Football) from 2004-2005.
“While some say coaches are hired to be fired, in this case our hire brought fire,” commented Argos GM Michael “Pinball” Clemons. “We needed someone to not only be good with the X’s and O’s but to be able to lead a group of men each and every day. He has far exceeded our lofty expectations.”
The Argonauts return to action in Week 6 after their bye as they travel to Montreal to take on the Alouettes at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium on Friday, July 14.
