Argos hire Rita, Stubler, Mohns
The Toronto Argonauts made it official Wednesday: Adam Rita and Rich Stubler are back as assistant coaches and Greg Mohns as director of football operations and player personnel.
Rita, 55, will serve as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator under head coach Michael (Pinball) Clemons.
Stubler, 53, becomes full-time defensive coordinator after splitting last year between Toronto and the AFL Detroit Fury.
"My belief as a head coach is that you are only as strong as your coaching and personnel staff," Clemons said. "And the addition of this veteran group makes me feel like the strongest man in the CFL.
"Each of these men is an all-star in this league at what they do. And the Argos and their fans have a lot to be excited about."
The hirings were supposed to be announced Tuesday, but Mohns failed to get a flight out of Kansas City.
Said Clemons: "These three gentlemen bring over four decades of CFL experience and nine Grey Cup championships to the Argos and that will instill the championship attitude that will help this team take the next step."
Rita was axed as head coach and general manager of the British Columbia Lions on Nov. 19.
With the Lions languishing at 1-5 last season, Rita replaced incumbent head coach Steve Burrato and proceeded to coach them to nine wins in 12 games.
The remarkable turnaround resulted in a third-place finish in the competitive CFL West Division.
But B.C. sagged somewhat down the stretch, losing three of its last four games before being pummelled 30-3 by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the West Division semifinal.
The Lions, ultimately, replaced Rita with Wally Buono.
"You cannot replace experience in any league," Clemons said. "But that's especially true in the Canadian Football League.
Rita has earned four Grey Cup rings (1985, 1991, 1993, 2000) with three teams in three different roles, including as head coach of the Argonauts 12 years ago.
The Hawaiian native sports a career coaching record of 46-54 and was named 1991 CFL Coach of the Year.
Rita most recently served the Lions in several capacities over six seasons, starting as head coach in 1997 before naming Mohns as his successor in 1998.
Asked how he plans to tweak Toronto's offence, the worst in the CFL, Rita responded: "We want to protect the football and find ways to get it into the hands of our playmakers as much as possible. We will be traditional, but we will be exciting."
As for Stubler, he toiled six years as Hamilton Tiger-Cats defensive coordinator, capturing the 1986 Grey Cup.
After working in a similar capacity for Toronto in 1990, he joined the Edmonton Eskimos (1991-95) and earned a second Grey Cup ring in 1993.
Stubler headed south to the University of Oregon after that, only to return to the Eskimos in 1998.
Midway through the 2000 season, he jumped to the Lions, who went on to win the Grey Cup.
"Some of the best defences I've coached have been the ones without big names," Stubler said. "We have a lot of pieces in place here.
"But we still have a lot of pieces remaining."
Mohns, 52, has more than a decade of CFL experience, serving as a player-personnel director, assistant GM and head coach with the Tiger-Cats, the now-defunct Memphis Mad Dogs, Argos and Lions.
"I think we're going to be aggressive," Mohns said. "We're not going to be sitting on our hands in the boardroom.
"We won't state publicly what our priorities are but, obviously, a key for any CFL team is the quality of its Canadian talent. I think we want to try and get the best Canadian talent we can."
Mohns last worked as a consultant, grading CFL talent for the San Francisco 49ers.
Prior to that, he worked in the front office of the XFL San Francisco Demons of the XFL in 2000, as well as the Kansas City Chiefs between 1983 and 1988.
"We're now in a situation where we're saying to our fans, we're serious about winning," Clemons said. "We are very serious about putting the best team on the field that we can."
with files from CP Online