Ryan Rigmaiden got the job he wanted with the organization he wanted it to be with.
Not everyone in this business is so lucky.
Following recent off-season hiring cycles where he was courted by Montreal, Ottawa and at more than one time by Edmonton, the newly-minted Lions general manager stood before a throng of local media on Wednesday and answered a whole bevvy of questions that we’ll get to in due time. One moment that stood out from the availability was Rigmaiden confirming his desire that when the day came for him to be appointed as a GM, he wanted it to be here.
“Being here was very important to me. I’m from Washington State; loyalty is important to me,” said Rigmaiden.
“Again, I’ve worked with Neil hand in hand for 11 years. It’s very important. Fit is the most important for me and my family. This is where I wanted to be all along. Honestly, I never thought this would happen, at least for the time being. When Duane presented this opportunity to me, this was a total no-brainer and not only myself being behind it but it’s the best move for my family.”
The 45-year-old talent evaluator first joined the organization in 2013 as a West Coast regional scout. The lifestyle in those roles isn’t always glamorous: plenty of time on the Interstate, many meals in the roadside diner and the hotel accommodations aren’t necessarily that of the Ritz Carlton. But football junkies like Rigmaiden live for it, with the payoff of finding that next hidden gem making it all worth it.
He rose through the ranks with Neil McEvoy and also credits Wally Buono for helping his ascension up the organization. Rigmaiden would soon become the club’s director of US scouting and also spent three seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as their top college scout, earning a Grey Cup ring in the 2019 season.
“The great thing about Wally was, he wasn’t going to be a guy to just push you away and let you learn on your own. He would stand with you and make sure you had everything you needed,” recalled Rigmaiden.
The work in his new position has already begun for Rigmaiden, newly-elevated vice-president of football operations McEvoy and their staff as the calendar year soon comes to a close. At the top of the list is hiring a replacement for Rick Campbell was dismissed as co-GM head coach as part of Wednesday’s football operations re-structure. Rigmaiden’s initial shortlist will involve roughly 8-10 names with a couple of internal candidates included. On this day, it was also about paying respect to the man who brought this franchise back to respectability and into Grey Cup contention after inheriting a squad that wasn’t close in either regard.
From left: president Duane Vienneau, VP of football operations Neil McEvoy and GM Ryan Rigmaiden at Thursday’s press conference. Photo: Steven Chang, BC Lions.
“Everyone in this building likes and respects Rick Campbell. This isn’t a happy day, this is always a difficult process,” added Rigmaiden,
“It’s never easy. Ownership felt this was the best course of action and we’re going to move forward. I think sometimes with these situations there’s a thought that things weren’t well internally or just didn’t work out or whatever it might be. We all love Rick Campbell. He’s from my hometown. He’s friends with Neil, he’s friends with a lot of people here. Nobody wanted this to happen but it did and we’re moving forward.”
“Across the board in this building, we all have to chase greatness harder. Everybody in this building, we all have to raise the bar. I believe that starts with the head coach with that message, but also we’ve got a tremendous owner. And it starts with him as well. He’s done everything possible to give us a shot at winning and we fell short this year. So, there’s work to be done but the head coach is going to be a huge part of that.”
And there’s the expected trade of Vernon Adams Jr. Rigmaiden expects interest to heat up for the veteran quarterback as the Lions will move forward with 2022 Most Outstanding Canadian Nathan Rourke as the face of the franchise next season and beyond. As a man who doesn’t want to put a timeline on things, it’s likely hard to envision this trade saga lasting too long.
Finding a new head coach and a trade partner for Vernon Adams Jr. top the list for Ryan Rigmaiden. Photo: Steven Chang, BC Lions.
“We’re going to start those conversations tonight,” explained Rigmaiden.
“I’ll start reaching out to some teams. I’m not a timeline guy, I want to make the best decision for the club. I’m not going to throw out an arbitrary date to say, ‘Hey, we want to do this.’ We’d like to do it sooner rather than later out of respect for him and the club, just so everybody knows what they’re doing, and we’ll see what the market shakes out.”
A native of Spokane, Washington, Rigmaiden’s life revolves around the game. When he’s not consumed by it, he’ll likely be found riding his motorcycle or doing some hunting or fishing; true to his northwest roots. He makes North Carolina his off-season home with wife Meghann and 16-year-old daughter Allison. Nowadays, he’s able to be at home with them for six months of the year, something that was never easy during the rigorous routine of scouting.
Rigmaiden indeed landed the job he long coveted. Now comes the task of making tough decisions. This offseason will no doubt be one of the more intriguing for the Lions in recent memory.
“Across the board in this building, we all have to chase greatness harder,” said the new general manager.
“Everybody in this building, we all have to raise the bar. I believe that starts with the head coach with that message, but also we’ve got a tremendous owner. And it starts with him as well. He’s done everything possible to give us a shot at winning and we fell short this year. So, there’s work to be done but the head coach is going to be a huge part of that.”