ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF
MISSISSAUGA – The Toronto Argonauts Football Club announced today that Jim Barker has been named General Manager & Head Coach of the club. Barker becomes the 18th General Manager in the history of the Toronto Argonauts and the first Argos executive to assume both responsibilities since Michael Clemons in 2003. This is the first time in his career that Barker has held both positions simultaneously.
The Toronto Argonauts also announced today that the contract of General Manager/V.P., Football Operations, Adam Rita will not be extended. Rita’s contract is set to expire on January 1, 2011.
Commented Toronto Argonauts’ President & CEO, Bob Nicholson, “First, I would like to thank Adam Rita for his years of dedication and service to the Toronto Argonauts. Adam is an exceptional individual and we wish him well in all of his future endeavours.”
Nicholson continued, “Jim Barker’s experience as both a coach and senior football executive will ensure that our organization builds on its many successes from this past season. Through his passion, intellect and sincerity, he has earned the trust of his players, coaches, and staff, as well as Argos fans everywhere. I’m confident that, through Jim’s leadership, the on-field product will continue to improve and he will put our club in an excellent position to compete for a Grey Cup title every year.”
As a coach, Barker transformed a team that had won seven games in two years and led them back to the playoffs with 10 wins, including a berth in the 2010 Eastern Division Final. He and his staff reintroduced exciting football to the city of Toronto and made 2010 a year full of optimism and growth. He cultivated the talents of all-stars like RB Cory Boyd and WR/KR Chad Owens, and introduced veteran leadership by bringing in WR Jeremaine Copeland. By season’s end, his team boasted eight first-year starters along with seven division all-stars and four CFL all-stars.
Commented Barker, “I’ve spent most of my football life learning separately as a coach and an executive, and this is an exciting opportunity to combine both of these experiences for an organization that is headed in the right direction. There is already strong leadership here with Senator Braley and Bob Nicholson, and I look forward to working even more closely with them as we continue to lay the groundwork for long-term success.”
Barker previously served in a senior football executive role when he was a member of the Calgary Stampeders. He was hired as the club’s General Manager in 2005, a position he held until 2007, and in 2008 he was named Sr. Vice President, Football Operations/Director of Player Personnel. He held that position until he joined the Argoanuts as head coach in February of this year. The Stampeders experienced tremendous success under Barker winning a Grey Cup championship in 2008 and making it to the post-season in five consecutive seasons.
Adam Rita joined the Argonauts in 2003 as the team’s Assistant Head Coach & Offensive Coordinator. In 2004, he was promoted to General Manager/V.P. Football Operations and oversaw one of the more successful periods in club history. Under Rita, the Argonauts played in five Eastern Division Finals (2004-07, 2010) in seven years and won a CFL-leading 15th Grey Cup title in 2004. His seven consecutive seasons as General Manager make him the second-longest serving G.M. in Argonauts history, behind Lew Hayman whose official title was Managing Director, from 1957-71.
Adam Rita commented, “I’d like to thank Argonauts fans, players and the organization. The past eight years have been a good run and I’m looking forward to the next step in my career.”