By Frank Zicarelli
The relationship between Fred Reid and Ryan Dinwiddie was first forged during their days in the Peg, a relationship that would be rekindled when the two gathered at a Tampa high school field a few years ago.
The two would often discuss the possibility of one day serving on the same coaching staff, the former all-star running back Reid and the backup quarterback Dinwiddie.
With so much uncertainty surrounding the future of the CFL, the former teammates continue to go about their daily business in preparing for whatever season awaits via conference video hook ups with the rest of the Argos coaching staff.
As a player, Dinwiddie got his first start in the 2007 Grey Cup played at the SkyDome against Saskatchewan.
As a player, Reid’s days effectively ended when he tore up his knee during a game at the SkyDome against the Argos.
“Ryan and I hung out quite a bit,” Reid relayed from his home in Tampa during a phone interview. “We had a very good relationship when we played in Winnipeg. He’s a great guy just to be around, period. We had a good bond, a good relationship when we played together.”
One of Reid’s coaches on Dinwiddie’s staff is Kevin Eiben, the one-time Argos linebacker who knocked out Kevin Glenn in the East final, paving the way for Dinwiddie to start in the big game.
“That was my first year in Winnipeg,” Reid said of the 2007 season. “Ryan has always been a confident guy. I saw no nervousness in him (during the week of Grey Cup) going in. He went about that week as though he was the starter for a while.
“He’s just that type of guy. He was the same guy coming in like he always was before he became the starter.”
The Blue Bombers would lose to the Riders.
Reid, who backed up Charles Roberts, would evolve into the team’s starter and put together back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
Reid was the ultimate CFL scat back, a guy could generate yards out of the backfield as a runner or be used as a receiving option. But the knee injury he suffered in September of 2011 derailed his career.
Reid, who grew up in Tampa and became a high school star, coached at a high school.
When Dinwiddie served as an assistant in Calgary, the Stamps used the field at the high school where Reid coached.
“They used my field,’’ said Reid, who went from running backs coach at the high school to head coach. “I knew Ryan and a couple of more guys on that staff. They wanted to have a workout in Tampa and they used my field. It happened for a couple of years.”
As Dinwiddie made the jump from assistant in Montreal to serving in Calgary, Reid was in the process of forging his own career path back in his native Tampa.
“Just the timing of everything worked out,” said Reid. “Ryan getting the coaching job and me trying to elevate myself I just figured it was the perfect fit. We had a pretty good relationship during our playing days and that’s pretty much what it was.”
Reid didn’t even blink an eye when the offer came up.
“A real no-brainer,” said Reid. “For me learn under a very smart offensive guy in Ryan was an easy decision to make. And knowing Ryan the person. It’s perfect. I can learn a lot under Ryan.”
At this point, Reid would welcome half a season.
“Just something would be welcome,” he added. “Hopefully we can play a full season.”
Football has been in Reid’s blood since he was 5 years old.
“I always loved football growing up,’’ said Reid, who was raised by his grandparents. “She (his grandmother) always kept me in football. It kept me busy. I completely loved football. It put me on the right path.”
At King High School in Tampa, Reid produced a 2,000-yard season in 10 games, becoming the first player in his county to reach the mark. He then went on to attend Mississippi State.
Barrin Simpson, a product of Mississippi State, was in Winnipeg and he encouraged the club to sign Reid.
In 2006, Reid was playing Arena Football in Tupelo, Miss.
During the season, he would head to nearby Starkville where he encountered Simpson in the school’s weight room.
“He knew I was a pretty good player when I played at State,” said Reid.
A day after Reid had a phone call with Brendan Taman, who worked in Winnipeg’s front office, the Bombers signed him. During his run in the Peg, Reid met John Murphy, the Argos’ vice-president of player personnel, and former player Markus Howell, Toronto’s new receivers coach.
“The CFL was the perfect game for me,” said Reid. “My time in Winnipeg was awesome. Winnipeg was good to me. I enjoyed it. They gave me an opportunity to start a career.”
He’s now starting his pro coaching career in Toronto.
REID EMBRACING NEW JOB
Considered a pro’s pro during his all-star days as a running back, Fred Reid is quickly embracing his first pro job as a coach.
The hope is he can actually coach players in live drills rather than huddle with his peers on teleconference video calls.
“I never had any ambition of being a coach,” admits Reid during a phone chat. “I ended up helping out high-school kids for one year as running backs coach. Then the following year a head coaching job came up … And then one day I decided I wanted to move up, make a change.
“I know a lot of people in the CFL, I have the passion, I’ve learned a lot. I think I was ready to make that jump. It’s been something I’ve been thinking of for the last year and the opportunity came up.”
Reid knows good coaches are good teachers.
“It’s a totally different ball game when you go from playing to coaching,’’ said Reid. “I had to learn on the fly that first year as head coach in high school, but I’ve learned a lot over the years. I believe that’s going to help me be a great coach in the pros.”
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