Montreal is in tears as they grieve the death of one of their officials.

The Montreal Alouettes mourn the death of former head coach Dave Ritchie.

Montreal, March 9, 2024 —The Montreal Alouettes are deeply saddened by the death of former head coach Dave Ritchie at the age of 85.

Ritchie was the defensive backs coach for the Montreal Concordes from 1983 to 1987 before becoming the Montreal Alouettes’ head coach in 1997 and 1998. He subsequently coached the Blue Bombers for six seasons (1999–2004). He was voted the Canadian Football League’s Coach of the Year in 2001.

Ritchie was the head coach of the B.C. Lions (1993-95), winning a Grey Cup with the team in 1994, retiring with 108 career wins – seventh-most in CFL history. In his career, he hoisted three Grey Cups.

He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2022.