 Dinwiddie with theToronto Argonauts in 2024 | |
| Ottawa Redblacks | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach •General manager |
| Personal information | |
| Born | November 27, 1980 (1980-11-27) (age 44) Elk Grove, California, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Elk Grove |
| College | Boise State |
| Position | Quarterback, No. 7, 2, 10, 4, 8[1] |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 2004–2005 | Chicago Bears* |
| 2005 | Hamburg Sea Devils |
| 2006–2008 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
| 2010–2011 | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
Coaching | |
| 2013–2015 | Montreal Alouettes (OQC) |
| 2016–2019 | Calgary Stampeders (QB) |
| 2020–2025 | Toronto Argonauts (HC) |
| 2026–present | Ottawa Redblacks (HC) |
Operations | |
| 2026–present | Ottawa Redblacks (GM) |
| Awards and highlights | |
As player:
As assistant coach: As head coach:
| |
| Stats at CFL.ca (archive) | |
Ryan Lee Dinwiddie (born November 27, 1980)[2][3] is an American professionalfootball coach and former player who is thehead coach andgeneral manager of theOttawa Redblacks of theCanadian Football League (CFL). He played as aquarterback in the CFL for theWinnipeg Blue Bombers andSaskatchewan Roughriders. He is a three-timeGrey Cup champion after winning with theCalgary Stampeders as an assistant coach in2018 and with theToronto Argonauts as the head coach in2022 and2024.
Dinwiddie graduated fromElk Grove High School inElk Grove, California. He was three-year starter atBoise State from 2001 to 2003, and one of the most prolific passers in college football history. In 2003, he passed for 4,031 yards, 28 touchdowns, and only 5 interceptions. Dinwiddie's recordNCAADivision IFootball Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) for careerpassing efficiency with a mark of 168.9 was broken in 2007 byColt Brennan's career 169.25.
Dinwiddie is considered, by some, to be the greatest quarterback in the history of Boise State football.[4] Though many of his records and accomplishments went on to be surpassed byKellen Moore. His leadership and on-field performance was one of the reasons for the continued success of Boise State football during his tenure.
| Height | Weight | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft0+1⁄2 in (1.84 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | |||||||||||
| Values fromPro Day[5] | ||||||||||||
After playing college football, Dinwiddie went undrafted in the2004 NFL draft and signed with theChicago Bears, however he was cut from their training camp and placed on their practice squad for the2004 NFL season.[6] The Bears then allocated Dinwiddie to play for theHamburg Sea Devils ofNFL Europe during the2005 NFL Europe season, and was cut upon his return.[7][8][9]
As of 2005, Dinwiddie had been on the negotiation list of theB.C. Lions for some time. The Lions released him from their negotiation list.[8]
Near the end of the 2005 CFL season, Dinwiddie was signed to the practice roster of theMontreal Alouettes,[10] and was resigned by the team on December 8, 2005.[10]
On May 20, 2006, he was released by the Alouettes.
Dinwiddie joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in August 2006.[11] This reunited him withDoug Berry, Winnipeg's head coach who been Montreal's offensive coordinator the year before.[8] Dinwiddie's first significant playing time came early in the 2006 regular season finale in B.C., when Winnipeg's starting quarterback,Kevin Glenn, went down to an ankle sprain.[11]
During the off-season, before the2007 CFL season, Dinwiddie attempted to joinArizona Rattlers of theArena Football League, lasting for three weeks with the Rattlers before learning that his CFL contract precluded him from playing during the2007 Arena Football League season.[8][12]
In the 2007 regular season, Dinwiddie's most noteworthy playing time came when Glenn went down to a knee injury against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on September 15.[11] In the East Division Final, Glenn left the game in the 4th quarter with a broken left arm, and Dinwiddie was pressed into action.[8] He made his first CFL start for the Blue Bombers against theSaskatchewan Roughriders in the2007 Grey Cup, won by Saskatchewan 23 to 19. Dinwiddie gave up 3 interceptions toJames Johnson.[13]
In the 2008 regular season, Dinwiddie's most noteworthy moment came after Winnipeg started 0-4. Berry decided to start Dinwiddie instead of Glenn in game 5 against the Calgary Stampeders because he "tried to shake up his troops to get in the win column."[14] Making just his second career CFL start (and first career CFL regular season start),[14] Dinwiddie moved the ball, avoided sacks and kept plays alive. He finished 24 of 39 for 450 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions, ran for 26 yards on six carries, and threw a 35-yard touchdown pass toRomby Bryant with 12 seconds left to give the Blue Bombers their first win of the season.[14]
Dinwiddie's success was short-lived with the Blue Bombers, however. During his 3 years as a backup in Winnipeg, his career CFL statistics are 58.2% completion percentage, for 1,581 yards, 6 Touchdowns and 9 Interceptions, for a passer rating of 73.8. He also rushed the ball 23 times for 112 yards, 1 Touchdown, and 2 Fumbles.
Dinwiddie was released at the beginning of the Blue Bombers 2009 training camp.[15]
On May 26, 2010, it was announced that Dinwiddie had signed a contract with theSaskatchewan Roughriders.[16] Dinwiddie was once again reunited with Doug Berry, who was now Saskatchewan's offensive coordinator. In 2010, Dinwiddie served as back-up toDarian Durant. The Roughriders went to the Grey Cup, and lost to the Montreal Alouettes 21-18.
In 2011, Dinwiddie was once again the back-up to Durant. Saskatchewan started 1-7, and fired new head coach Greg Marshall, as well as Berry. Dinwiddie started three games at the end of the season when Durant was out with injury.
Dinwiddie was released on January 19, 2012.[17] He retired as a player shortly thereafter.
| Year | Team | GP | GS | ATT | COMP | YD | TD | INT | RUSH | YD | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | WPG | 9 | 0 | 24 | 11 | 107 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2007 | WPG | 18 | 0 | 24 | 17 | 175 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| 2008 | WPG | 17 | 3 | 159 | 93 | 1,299 | 5 | 6 | 21 | 101 | 1 |
| 2010 | SSK | 18 | 0 | 12 | 6 | 103 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - |
| 2011 | SSK | 18 | 3 | 111 | 56 | 847 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 65 | 0 |
| Totals | 80 | 6 | 330 | 183 | 2,531 | 11 | 14 | 36 | 177 | 1 | |
| Year & game | Team | GP | GS | ATT | COMP | YD | TD | INT | RUSH | YD | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 East Semi-Final | WPG | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - |
| 2007 East Semi-Final | WPG | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - |
| 2007 East Final | WPG | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 80 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - |
| 2008 East Semi-Final | WPG | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2010 West Semi-Final | SSK | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - |
| 2010 West Final | SSK | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - |
| Totals | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 80 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | ATT | COMP | YD | TD | INT | RUSH | YD | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | WPG | 1 | 1 | 33 | 15 | 225 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| 2010 | SSK | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - |
| Totals | 2 | 1 | 33 | 15 | 225 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | |
On February 19, 2013, it was announced that Dinwiddie was joining the coaching staff of theMontreal Alouettes newly hired head coach,Dan Hawkins, as the offensive quality control coach.[18][19] Hawkins had coached Dinwiddie at Boise State University from 2001 to 2003.[18] Dinwiddie was once again reunited with Doug Berry, who was the Senior Advisor to Hawkins on the staff.[18] On August 1, 2013, Hawkins was fired by the team after starting the season 2–3, and general managerJim Popp replaced him as head coach.[20] After the season, Dinwiddie agreed to a two-year contract extension with the club, keeping him with the Alouettes until the 2015 season.[21]
In 2014, Dinwiddie started the season as Montreal's Quarterbacks Coach under new head coachTom Higgins.[22] During the season, he became the team's offensive coordinator.[23]
In 2015, Dinwiddie started the season as Montreal's running backs' coach under Higgins.[24] However, Higgins was replaced as head coach, with Popp once again becoming the team's head coach.[24] In September, Dinwiddie andAnthony Calvillo, the team's receivers' coach, would act as co-offensive coordinators afterTurk Schonert was relieved of his offensive coordinator duties.[24]
On December 8, 2015, Dinwiddie was hired by theCalgary Stampeders as the team's QB coach.[25] Under Dinwiddie,Bo Levi Mitchell wonCFL Most Outstanding Player in 2016 and 2018, and led the CFL in touchdown passes in both seasons. Calgary reached the Grey Cup in 2016, 2017, and 2018, winning in2018.[26]
In 2019, Mitchell suffered a pectoral injury in Week 3 and was subsequently placed on the six-game injured reserve list.[27] In total, he missed seven games during the 2019 season. In Mitchell's absence, Calgary's quarterback wasNick Arbuckle. In the game in which Mitchell got injured, Arbuckle led Calgary to a comeback victory against B.C. The following week, Arbuckle got his first CFL start, in Saskatchewan, and threw for 262 yards en route to a 37-10 Calgary win. Arbuckle's record as starting quarterback in 2019 was 4-3. Mitchell was 8-3 as Calgary's starting quarterback.
On December 12, 2019, Dinwiddie was named the head coach of theToronto Argonauts, the 45th in team history.[26] However, the2020 CFL season was cancelled and he did not coach in 2020. In his first season, in2021, he led the team to a first-place finish in theEast Division, but the club lost the East Final to theHamilton Tiger-Cats.
In2022, after a 4–5 start to the season, Dinwiddie led the team to an 11–7 finish and a second consecutive first-place finish in the East Division. He earned his first playoff victory against theMontreal Alouettes in the East Final and coached in his firstGrey Cup as a head coach. He led the team to the 18th championship in franchise history after the team defeated theWinnipeg Blue Bombers in the109th Grey Cup game.[28]
In2023, Dinwiddie led the team to their best record in franchise history and tied aCFL record with a 16–2 Win–Loss record. The team also started the season with an 11–1 record which was the best start to a season in franchise history and they also finished undefeated at home in the regular season.[29] The Argonauts also set a CFL record as the earliest to clinch a first place finish with six games remaining in an 18-game schedule.[30] However, much like the only other team to finish with 16 regular season wins (the1989 Edmonton Eskimos), the Argonauts were upset in the East Final.[31] Dinwiddie won theCFL Coach of the Year Award.
In2024, Argonaut starting quarterbackChad Kelly was suspended for the first nine games of the season. Despite this, the team had a 5-4 record. The Argonauts finished 10-8 and second place in the East Division. The team defeated Ottawa and Montreal en route to the Grey Cup. In the East Division Final against Montreal, Kelly suffered a broken tibia, and Nick Arbuckle finished the game.[32] Arbuckle started the Grey Cup and was named theGrey Cup Most Valuable Player as the Argonauts defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 41-24, and won their second Grey Cup in three seasons under Dinwiddie.
With Kelly rehabilitating his injury into the2025 season, Dinwiddie continued to start Arbuckle at quarterback.[33] The team had a challenging start to the season, losing their first three games including their week 3 loss on a kick return touchdown by the Roughriders for their game winning score. Dinwiddie's Argonauts then won two of their next four before losing three straight. The team then won three straight, but lost Arbuckle to injury in their week 15 win against the Elks.[34] The team's third stringer,Jarret Doege played in four of the final five games, which were all losses, as the Argonauts failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in Dinwiddie's career.[35]
On November 5, 2025, it was announced that Dinwiddie had been hired as the head coach andgeneral manager of theOttawa Redblacks.[36]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Result | |||
| TOR | 2021 | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 1st in East Division | 0 | 1 | Lost in East Final | |
| TOR | 2022 | 11 | 7 | 0 | .611 | 1st in East Division | 2 | 0 | Won109th Grey Cup | |
| TOR | 2023 | 16 | 2 | 0 | .889 | 1st in East Division | 0 | 1 | Lost in East Final | |
| TOR | 2024 | 10 | 8 | 0 | .556 | 2nd in East Division | 3 | 0 | Won111th Grey Cup | |
| TOR | 2025 | 5 | 13 | 0 | .278 | 4th in East Division | – | – | Did not qualify | |
| Total | 51 | 35 | 0 | .593 | 3 Division Championships | 5 | 2 | 2 Grey Cups | ||
Media related toRyan Dinwiddie at Wikimedia Commons