Rick Rivers of Halifax coached at the community, high school and provincial team levels of football from 1972 to 2008, and served in an administrative capacity for Football Nova Scotia and Football Canada for over 20 years. He was named Volunteer of the Year and received several outstanding service awards from many football organizations. As an educator, Rick coached many sports and influenced many young people to improve their fitness levels and achieve personal athletic goals. He created programs in touch football for youth and adults and continues to participate as an athlete and administrator. Rick has been president of Football Nova Scotia and is currently on the executive of Football Canada.

The scope of Rick’s involvement is vast. During his 32 years as a teacher at junior and senior high schools, he imparted his message about the value of sport and physical fitness to thousands of students. He worked tirelessly at the grass root levels of football, his dogged perseverance resulting in the creation of successful youth and school football programs. Rick was a major influence in founding the Provincial Elite programs for athletes under the ages of 19, 17, and 15. From their inception, these teams would become very competitive in inter-provincial and national competitions, with some of the coaches who trained these athletes being taught by Rick.

He is a Master Course Conductor and has directed clinics for many of the active football coaches today. One of his finest moments came at a Football Canada meeting when he planted the seed that grew into the Canada Cup. Rick was a tournament administrator in 2010 at Acadia University. Nova Scotia’s Canada Cup teams, with Rick as coach and general manager, won a silver medal in 2004 and a bronze in 2005.

Rick has also contributed to football as an on-field official, clinician, educator, organizer, announcer, fundraiser, auctioneer, and even as a consultant on the film “Scotland, PA”, in 2000. In summarizing Rick’s many achievements, however, Richard Munro, the former CEO of Football Canada and long-time friend, said, “Rick brings reasoned and principled expertise to his contributions…”

In 1969, he came to Halifax and Dalhousie University, where he studied, built a home and career, and helped develop a football community of which he is proud and that is proud of him. Rick’s passion for football spiked again this fall and he can be found patrolling the sidelines of Wickwire Field coaching the resurrected Dalhousie Tiger’s Football Club.