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The Ottawa Redblacks didn’t take very long, or go very far, to find their new leader.
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Rather than wait for the current Canadian Football League season to conclude so they could interview all potential candidates, they jumped at the chance to hire a brilliant offensive mind and superstar in his profession.
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Ryan Dinwiddie, who spent the past five seasons as head coach of the Toronto Argos, has signed a three-year deal to become head coach/general manager of the Redblacks.
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Shawn Burke, who has served as Redblacks’ GM for the past four seasons, has been elevated to the role of vice-president of football operations with a contract extension that is aligned with Dinwiddie’s deal through the 2028 campaign.
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While the Redblacks hinted they’d wait until after the Grey Cup to pick a replacement for the fired Bob Dyce, they chose to lure Dinwiddie with the dual post even though the Argos also missed the 2025 playoffs with a 5-13 record and had just one more win than Ottawa.
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It was the lone blemish on Dinwiddie’s outstanding run in Toronto.
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Hired by the Argos in December 2019, Dinwiddie had to wait more than a year to stand on the sideline for his debut as a head coach after COVID-19 cancelled the 2020 season.
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In his first four seasons on the job, the Argos won two Grey Cups (2022 and 2024), had three first-place finishes in the CFL’s East Division, and twice lost in the division final.
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Dinwiddie was also named CFL coach of the year after he guided the Double Blue to an all-time best 16-2 record in 2023, and, with an overall record of 51-35, has the fourth-most coaching wins in the 152-year history of the Argos, trailing only Bob O’Billovich (89 wins in 11 seasons), Michael Clemons (68 in eight seasons) and Leo Cahill (54 in eight seasons).
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“We are thrilled to welcome Ryan Dinwiddie to our organization as head coach and general manager,” Redblacks president Adrian Sciarra said in a release. “Ryan is a proven winner with a track record of developing players and leading successful teams. His vision, leadership and competitiveness make him the right person to partner with Shawn Burke in leading our football club.”
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Dinwiddie is scheduled to meet with Ottawa media at TD Place on Thursday morning.
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“This is a proud organization with passionate fans and a strong foundation to build on,” the 44-year-old product of Elk Grove, Calif., said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to working with Shawn to build our football club and to create a winning culture here in the nation’s capital, with the goal of bringing sustained success and a Grey Cup back to Ottawa.”
