Six-time Grey Cup champion Adam Rita hired as Berlin Thunder offensive coordinator

Photo: Jeff Vinnick/B.C. Lions

The Berlin Thunder of the European League of Football (ELF) have hired Adam Rita as their new offensive coordinator.

The 77-year-old first came to the CFL in 1983 as the offensive coordinator of the B.C. Lions, a role he held for six seasons. He spent 28 years in the league primarily with the Lions and Toronto Argonauts, though he also coached with the Edmonton Football Team, Ottawa Rough Riders, and Memphis Mad Dogs.

Rita served as the head coach of the Argonauts in 1991 and 1992, Rough Riders in 1994, and Lions in 1997 and 1998, plus an interim stint in 2002. He posted a head coaching record of 40-46.

The native of Kauai, Hawaii also served as the general manager of the Lions from 1997 to 2002 and of the Argonauts from 2003 to 2010, posting a regular-season record of 122-128-1 and a playoff record of 9-10.

Rita won six Grey Cups, including three as an offensive coordinator, one as a head coach, and two as a general manager.

Since his days in the CFL came to an end, the Boise State University product has coached extensively at the high school level and in Europe, including stints at Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ont., Clarkson Secondary School in Mississauga, Ont., the Prague Panthers, Calanda Broncos, Bergamo Lions, Berlin Adler, and Barcelona Dragons.