Former CFL Coach, Rich Stubler, Dead at 74

Longtime coach Rich Stubler, who served as coach in the high school ranks, U.S College and the Canadian Football League (CFL) is dead at 74. He died on Sunday.

Stubler served as either a defensive coordinator or head coach for six different CFL teams, with almost 50 years of coaching career across Canada.

According to the Canadian Press, the cause of death wasn’t immediately known.

Stubler was most recently an assistant coach for the Toronto Argonauts. He was a five-time Grey Group champion, all as a defensive coordinator, and was formerly the head coach of the Argonauts. In 1983, Stubler began his CFL coaching career when he joined the Hamilton Tiger-cats, helping to lead the team to a Grey Cup in 1986.

Stubler also coached in the Arena Football League as the defensive coordinator for the expansion Detriot Fury from 2001 to 2002. Prior to that, he was Defensive Coordinator for the University of Oregon, and then resumed in the CFL to rejoin the Edmonton Eskimos from 1998 to 1999.

Tributes have since poured in for the coach. The Edmonton Elks, wrote on X “we join the entire CFL family in mourning the passing of Rich Stubler. Widely regarded as one of the league’s best defensive minds. Stubler had three stints with the Green and Gold over his career, including from 1991-1995 when he was part of the 1993 Grey Cup Championship Team.”

Canadian Football Defensive Lineman, Shawn Lemon also paid tribute to the coach saying “RIP Coach Stubs, Just talk to you last week. You believed in me when no one else did. You will be missed coach.”

The Toronto Agronauts wrote on X “The Argos are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former Head Coach Rich Stubler. An integral part of our 2004 Grey Cup, Stubler coached four separate times in Toronto and won 5 Grey cups coaching over 30 years in the CFL. We wish to send our condolences.”

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