The

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first season ...

finished the season in first place in the Western Conference for the first time ever with a 12–4 record. Over the course of the season, the Lions' defense allowed an average of only 14.5 points per game while

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

Willie Fleming Willie Fleming (born February 2, 1939) is a former professional Canadian football player with the Canadian Football League's BC Lions. Fleming played collegiately as a halfback at the University of Iowa, where he was a member of the Hawkeyes' ...

rushed for 1,234 yards and an astounding 9.7 yard average. It was first time the Lions finished with a perfect home record. A total of seven Lions would make the CFL all-star team and Tom Brown would win the Schenley for Most Outstanding Lineman. On September 7, a crowd of 36,659 watch the Lions versus the Calgary Stampeders, the largest crowd ever to watch a CFL regular season game at that point in time. After claiming first place, the Lions earned a bye into the West Finals where they beat the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

two games to one. They made their first

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...

appearance in franchise history, losing to the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

by a score of 21–10 at Empire Stadium. The Lions changed their jerseys. The orange and black stripes were replaced with thick orange shoulder stripe with TV numbers including within.

Regular season

Season standings

Season schedule

Playoffs

West Finals

* ''BC wins the best of three series 2–1. The Lions will advance to the Grey Cup Championship game.''

Grey Cup

Offensive leaders

Awards and records

CFL's Most Outstanding Lineman Award The Most Outstanding Lineman Award was an award annually given to the best defensive player or offensive lineman in the Canadian Football League from the year 1955 to 1973. By the 1974 season, the league decided to make two separate awards for bo ...

– Tom Brown (LB) * CFL's Coach of the Year –

Dave Skrien David Albert Skrien (April 4, 1929 – November 30, 2010) was a Canadian Football League player and coach. Skrien graduated from Morris High School (1946) and Minnesota (1950) where he played fullback and linebacker. He played two seasons in t ...

Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy The Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy is a trophy awarded to the Canadian Football League West Division's most outstanding player, chosen from the nominees from each team in the division. Either this trophy winner or the winner of the Terry Evanshen T ...

– Joe Kapp (QB)

1963 CFL All-Stars

*QB –

Joe Kapp Joseph Robert Kapp (born March 19, 1938) is an American former football player, coach, and executive. He played college football as a quarterback at the University of California, Berkeley. Kapp played professionally in the Canadian Football Lea ...

, CFL All-Star *RB – Willie "The Wisp" Fleming, CFL All-Star *OG –

Tom Hinton William Thomas Hinton (born 1936) is a former Canadian Football League offensive guard who played nine years for the BC Lions from 1958 to 1966. In 1991, he was enshrined into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. College career Hinton attended Lou ...

, CFL All-Star *OT –

Lonnie Dennis Lonnie Dennis (born December 10, 1937) is a former professional Canadian football player with the Canadian Football League's the British Columbia Lions. After playing college football at Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU ...

, CFL All-Star *DE –

Dick Fouts Richard Lee Fouts (August 7, 1933 – August 5, 2003) was an American professional Canadian football player with the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts and the BC Lions. After playing college football at the University of Missouri, whe ...

, CFL All-Star *LB – Tom Brown, CFL All-Star *LB –

Norm Fieldgate William Norman "Mouse" Fieldgate (January 12, 1932 – March 6, 2020) was a professional Canadian football player. Fieldgate played defensive end and linebacker with the Canadian Football League BC Lions for his entire 14-year career. Born in ...

, CFL All-Star

References

BC Lions seasons N. J. Taylor Trophy championship seasons 1963 Canadian Football League season by team 1963 in British Columbia {{Canadianfootball-stub