Ryan Dinwiddie has a knack for making dramatic entrances.
His first start as a quarterback in the Canadian Football League, for instance, came on the grand stage of a Grey Cup game.
That was the 2007 championship game as the Boise State product got the call for the Blue Bombers when Winnipeg starter Kevin Glenn broke his arm in the East final.
Then, eight months later in his regular-season debut as a starting pivot, Dinwiddie lit up the Calgary Stampeders.
On July 24, 2008, at Winnipeg’s Canad Inns Stadium, Dinwiddie threw for 450 yards and connected with Romby Bryant for the game-winning touchdown with 12 seconds remaining in the contest.
“It seemed like me and Hank (Stamps QB Henry Burris) were going back and forth every other drive,” recalls Dinwiddie. “It was an exciting game, for sure. One I will never forget.
“It was just like a college game. Anytime you can throw for over 400 yards and have a big game where it’s pretty effortless, it’s always nice. But in professional football, that doesn’t happen too often.
“That year, we were kind of struggling. I think we were like 1-5 at the time. I thought that was a win that was going to get us on the right track. For me, I wanted to make a name for myself is the CFL and prove that I was a quality quarterback.”
Now, he’s looking to continue making a name for himself as a coach.
His new boss — Stamps head coach Dave Dickenson — is also a former quarterback and he’s someone Dinwiddie knew by reputation long before they crossed paths in the CFL.
“It’s a funny story,” said the Elk Grove, Calif., native, who played five seasons for Winnipeg and Saskatchewan before turning to coaching. “When I first got to Boise, a lot of the fans around there were saying, ‘Hey, you need to be like Dave Dickenson — he’s been the best quarterback in the Northwest.’ So I looked him up and read about him. He’s a competitive guy who has obviously had a lot of success in college and the CFL. Personality-wise, he’s an even-keel, low-key guy but deep down, I don’t think there’s anybody who wants to win more than him.”
Dinwiddie is looking forward to working with Calgary’s veteran signal-callers.
In Montreal, the QB position has been a constantly changing situation in the post-Anthony Calvillo era with nine different players getting starts during Dinwiddie’s three seasons on the Alouettes staff. In Calgary, Bo Levi Mitchell is the unquestioned No. 1.
“I’m looking forward to working with him,” said Dinwiddie. “I think he’s the best quarterback in the league. He’s got great pocket awareness and he takes care of the football. The one thing that people don’t talk about is he’s got really good arm strength. And a smart quarterback, for sure.”