The Prague Panthers (Austrian and Czech top divisions) have signed Adam Rita
The Prague Panthers have signed Adam Rita who has been involved in every level of football for the past 35 years, as an assistant coach, head coach and general manager. He spent 16 years coaching in the NCAA and over 20 years in the Canadian Football League which includes six Grey Cup wins. Adam Rita was a Canadian Football League executive who has served as the head coach of Toronto Argonauts, Ottawa Rough Riders, and BC Lions and as general manager of the Lions and Argonauts.
Named CFL Coach of the Year in 1991, Rita took the Toronto Argonauts to the Grey Cup Championship after a season that saw the team set a league-best record of 13 wins and 5 losses. In 1993, with the Edmonton Eskimos, Rita took home Grey Cup honors as offensive coordinator. From 1997 to 2002, he served in various managerial positions with the B.C. Lions and was the club’s general manager in 2000 as they brought home the 88th Grey Cup.
Rita grew up on Kaua’i, Hawai’i and as a young boy, he was a member of a canoe club and appeared paddling a canoe in the wedding scene of the Elvis Presley movie Blue Hawaii., Rita first broke into the professional coaching ranks in 1983 as an Offensive Coordinator with the B.C. Lions after 12 years spent coaching at the college level with his alma mater, Boise State University, as well as the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and the University of Hawaii. After two seasons in B.C., Ritaβs offense led the Lions to their first Grey Cup win in more than 20 years. After spending one season with the UBC Thunderbirds (Canadian college football) in 1989, Rita returned to the CFL.
In 1993, Rita won his third championship as the offensive coordinator of the Edmonton Eskimos before splitting the next two seasons with Ottawa and the Memphis Mad Dogs. Rita reunited returned to Toronto in 1996, capturing another championship trophy with Doug Flutie as his quarterback. Rita made his return to the Lions as head coach in 1997 and was named the CFLPAβs Coach of the Year. In 2004, Rita was named General Manager and Vice President of Football Operations of the Toronto Argonauts. Toronto won the 92nd Grey Cup in his first year on the job, but managed only a 48β60 record after that. Rita’s contract was not renewed following the 2010 season and he was replaced by head coach Jim Barker.
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