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 in 1954, and have played every season since, making them the oldest professional sports franchise in British Columbia. They have appeared in the league's Grey Cup championship game 10 times, winning six, with their most recent championship occurring in 2011.

The Lions were the first Western Canadian team to win the Grey Cup at home, doing so in 1994 and 2011, before Saskatchewan achieved the feat in 2013. Also in 1994, the Lions became the first team to play and defeat an American-based franchise for the Grey Cup. The Lions hold the second-longest playoff streak in CFL history, making the postseason 20 consecutive seasons, from 1997 to 2016 (only Edmonton has had a longer playoff streak, going 34 seasons from 1972 to 2005). With the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Grey Cup win in 2019 after a 29-year wait, the Lions currently have the longest Grey Cup drought of the West Division teams, last winning in 2011.

Team facts

: Founded: 1954
: Name: the team is named for the Lions, a pair of mountain peaks overlooking the team's home city of Vancouver
: Helmet design: black background, with an orange mountain lion's head
: Uniform colours: orange and black
: Nickname: Leos
: Mascot: Leo the Lion
: Fight song: "Roar, You Lions, Roar" composed by Dal Richards and His Orchestra
: Stadiums: Empire Stadium (1954–1982), Empire Field (2010–2011) and BC Place Stadium (1983–2009, 2011–present)
: Main rivals: Montreal Alouettes (Labour Day Classic) and Saskatchewan Roughriders
: Western Division 1st place: 13—1963, 1964, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, and 2012
: Western Division championships: 10—1963, 1964, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1994, 2000, 2004, 2006, and 2011
: Grey Cup championships: 6—1964, 1985, 1994, 2000, 2006, and 2011
: 2022 regular season record: 12 wins, 6 losses

Ownership

The BC Lions Football Club is owned by businessman Amar Doman, who was introduced as the club's owner on August 18, 2021. As of late 2020, the BC Lions Football Club executive committee consisted of two people:
*Rick LeLacheur, team president
*George Chayka, vice president of business

Franchise history

Before the Lions

Compared to the rest of the country, senior football arrived late in British Columbia. Rugby unions had been organized in all of the Prairie provinces by 1907 and the Western Canada Rugby Football Union had been formed in 1911.

However, it was not until 1926 (after the sudden collapse of the Western Hockey League) that the British Columbia Rugby Football Union was formed, and not until 1930 that the BCRFU competed to represent the West in the Grey Cup. The black and orange Vancouver Meralomas were the most successful British Columbian team of the era. They played in the Western Final in 1930 and again in 1934, only to lose on both occasions to the Regina Roughriders of the Saskatchewan Rugby Football Union.

The BCRFU stopped challenging for the Grey Cup following the formation of the Western Interprovincial Football Union. After the BCRFU disbanded in 1941, the Vancouver Grizzlies joined the WIFU. They played only one season, finishing 1–7, before the WIFU suspended operations for the duration of the Second World War. The Grizzlies did not return after the war.

Origin of the Lions

In 1951, a group led by Ken Stauffer and Tiny Radar were inspired by ''Vancouver Sun'' columnist Andy Lytle's article to start a new football team in Vancouver that would play in the WIFU. The ownership group sent Radar and Orville Burke to represent them at the off-season WIFU meetings to initiate Vancouver's bid for a team. Radar and Burke were told to return to the meetings the following year with a $25,000 good-faith bond if they could generate sufficient interest in the Vancouver area. The first meetings were held at the Arctic Club in November and a committee headed by Burke and Harry Spring of the Meraloma Rugby Club, set out to sell memberships for $20 each.

Though Burke, Vic Spencer, and John Davidson offered the good-faith bond to the WIFU in 1952, the idea of having a Vancouver team was rejected when both Winnipeg and Saskatchewan voted against the idea of a fifth team. The group in Vancouver, however, did not give up their efforts to have a franchise in the WIFU.

On January 22, 1953, the first annual meeting of the club was held, and Arthur E. Mercer was confirmed as the club's first president. Later in the year, Mercer, Bill Morgan, Bill Ralston, and Whit Matthews went back to the WlFU meetings. One of the founding members included Indo-Canadian businessman, Jab Sidhoo. This time, they sold the idea of a fifth Western team, and Vancouver was granted a conditional franchise. They were required to provide a 15,000-seat stadium, sell at least 6,500 season tickets, and guarantee travel expenses for the visiting teams.

All the pieces began to fall into place when it was announced that Vancouver would host the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. That entailed the building of Empire Stadium, which seated 32,300 people and would be more than suitable for the new WIFU team once the Games concluded. By Easter of 1953, Annis Stukus was then lured away from the Toronto Argonauts to return to the West to become the first public relations manager, general manager, and head coach of the franchise.

Naming the team

During the rest of 1953, a fan contest was held by all of the local media to pick the new team's name. Lions was chosen because it represented a local landmark and legend of the area. The Lions are twin mountain peaks that rise northwest of Vancouver, and according to legend, resemble two mountain lions (cougars) guarding the city.

After the name was chosen, Stukus decided that the team should represent and embrace the entire province of British Columbia, introducing the team to the Canadian football world as the British Columbia Lions or "BC Lions" for short.

Native to BC, the mountain lion has a strong connection to team's brand, as it is renowned for speed, courage and strength, and carefully respected as a remarkable, but dangerous predator. The new team's logo combined this animal with the black and orange colours of the Meralomas.

Notable seasons

The BC Lions have won 13 Western Conference/West Division regular-season championships and played for the Grey Cup 10 times, winning six.

First seasons (1954–1960)

For their inaugural season in 1954, Stukus sold football fever on the streets of Vancouver. The team made history when they stepped on the field of Empire Stadium for their first home game, against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, on Saturday, August 28, 1954. Fullback By Bailey scored the first touchdown in franchise history in an 8–6 loss. The first Lions win came on September 18, 1954, with Bailey scoring the winning touchdown to overtake the Calgary Stampeders 9–4. Fans celebrated in the streets, but it turned out to be their only win, as the Lions went 1-15 for the year.

In 1955, the team improved to a 5–11 record, eking out fourth place ahead of Calgary, but missing the playoffs. In October, the team's directors asked Stukus to step down as the team's head coach. While fan reaction to his dismissal was loud and divided, Stukus asked the fans to continue their support of the BC Lions. Stukus' assistant Clem Crowe was later named head coach for the upcoming 1956 season.

In 1956, the Lions again finished fourth in the West and missed the playoffs, despite improving to 6–10 in Crowe's first year.

During the offseason, Bill McMahan assumed the role of team president. One of his first duties involved him bringing back Kelowna native Herb Capozzi from the Montreal Alouettes as the new general manager. BC continued to struggle on the field, finishing the 1957 season with a 4–11–1 record, missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year.

1958 marked the beginning of the CFL era, but the Lions lost their first 5 games, en route to a league-worst 3–13 record. The team's on-field struggles compelling Capozzi to fire Crowe as the head coach and replace him with Danny Edwards, who returned after playing with the club during the 1957 season. Although it was a season to forget, rookies Tom Hinton and Sonny Homer showed promising signs of being future football stars.

Capozzi improved the team for the 1959 season, first by hiring Wayne Robinson, from Winnipeg, as the new head coach, then bringing in a corps of veteran players to add more experience to the team. This was followed by signing rookie running back Willie "the Wisp" Fleming, adding more youth to play alongside Hinton and Homer. Capozzi's moves proved successful. By winning their final regular season game, at home, over Calgary, the 1959 Lions managed both their first winning season, with a 9–7–0 record, first playoff appearance. The postseason ended with two straight losses to the Edmonton Eskimos, but the team's future looked bright heading into the 1960s.

The high hopes of the Lions heading into 1960 faded and the team finished with a 5–9–2 record, which eliminated them from playoff contention again. It was disappointing considering the addition of rookie talents Steve Cotter, Lonnie Dennis, Jim Carphin, and Neal Beaumont to a strong core of veteran and young players from the previous season. The only positive for the Lions was Beaumont winning WIFU Outstanding Rookie of the Year honors, becoming the first Lions player to win a major CFL award.

Dave Skrien and the first Grey Cup title (1961–1967)

The Lions started the 1961 season by signing former Minnesota Golden Gopher Tom Brown, but the team continued performing poorly on the field.

In September, in a trade that was considered a major gamble, the Lions received quarterback Joe Kapp from Calgary, in exchange for four players. A week later, Robinson was relieved of his duties as head coach and replaced by assistant Dave Skrien. The year ended with a 1–13–2 record.

In 1962, Skrien made an immediate impact in his first full season as head coach, finishing with a 7–9 record. After eight years of hard work, the Lions were on the verge of success for the first time.

1963 Grey Cup finalists

Before the 1963 season, there was optimism that the Lions could contend for the Grey Cup. With a veteran roster headlined by Kapp and Fleming, the Lions surged to their first regular-season conference title with a 12–4 record. After a 2–1 series victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Western Conference finals, the Lions lined up in the 51st Grey Cup, held at Empire Stadium, against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. However, their momentum stalled as a series of injuries in the championship game affected the team's performance. Star running back Fleming was hurt after he received a late, out-of-bounds hit by Tiger-Cat defensive tackle Angelo Mosca. This proved to be a huge blow to the Lions' chances of victory. Hamilton took the Grey Cup, 21–10.

In the offseason, Kapp was awarded the Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy as most valuable player of the Western Conference, Tom Brown won the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award, and Skrien won the Annis Stukus Trophy as coach of the year, the first time any of those three awards had been handed to Lions players. Fullback-kicker Peter Kempf became the second Lion to win the Dr. Beattie Martin Trophy for rookie of the year honours in the Western Conference.

1964 Grey Cup champions

After achieving an 11–2–3 regular-season record in 1964, and defeating the Calgary Stampeders in a three-game series in the Western Conference finals, the Lions advanced to meet the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a Grey Cup rematch at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium. BC got their revenge, as Kapp, Fleming, and Bill Munsey, who gave a two-touchdown, two-way starring effort, helped the Lions to their first Grey Cup victory, 34–24. The win ended 11 years of waiting for the British Columbia faithful. At the end of the 1964 season, defensive lineman Tom Brown was named a CFL All-Star, a back-to-back Schenley Award winner as CFL's Most Outstanding Lineman Award, and won the Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy as the most valuable player in the Western Conference. Joining Brown as All-Stars on defence were Mike Cacic, Dick Fouts, and Munsey. Kapp and tackle Lonnie Dennis were named CFL All-Stars on offence.

During the offseason, Bailey left, and the roster was beginning to age. Any hopes of the BC Lions becoming a dynasty quickly disappeared in 1965, as the team fell to fourth in the west with a 6-9-1 record, missing the playoffs one year after being on top of the CFL world. It was clear that head coach Skrien would never again experience the same success as he achieved the previous two seasons.

The situation went from bad to worse in 1966, as the Lions posted a 5–11 record. Capozzi was fired as general manager after nine seasons, and just two years after taking the franchise to consecutive Grey Cup appearances. Fleming and Tom Hinton retired, and Kapp left the team to continue his playing career in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings.

In the 1967 season, Denny Vietch became the new general manager of the club. His first move was to fire Skrien after three straight losses to start the season. Veitch named Jim Champion as head coach, and the Lions ended up finishing the season with a 3–12–1 record. The only positives for the club were two rookies; wide receiver Jim Young and kicker Ted Gerela, who ended up winning the Dr. Beattie Martin Trophy as the Western Conference's rookie of the year.

Instability at coach (1968–1976)

Following Skrien's departure, the Lions went through five head coaches between 1968 and 1976, qualifying for the playoffs only three times. Champion remained as head coach in 1968, and CFL legend Jackie Parker was hired as an assistant coach, and even came out of retirement for eight games at quarterback. The Lions finished the season with a 4–11–1 record, again missing the playoffs.

Eleven games into the 1969 season, with a 1–10 record, Champion was fired as head coach and replaced by assistant Jackie Parker. The Lions responded by winning four of their last five games to finish 5–11, tied with Edmonton. By virtue of winning the season series, BC won the tie breaker and squeezed into the playoffs, where they fell to the Stampeders, in Calgary, 35–21 in the semifinal. Individually, Dave Easley won CFL and Western Division rookie of the year honours, and Young was a Schenley finalist.

In 1970, the first artificial turf field in Canada was installed, at Empire Stadium (3M's Tartan Turf). Young became the first Lion to win the Schenley Outstanding Canadian Award, while the team finished fourth place in the Western Conference at 6–10, and missed the playoffs.

The 1971 season began with a major off-season restructuring that saw head coach Parker elevated to general manager, and replaced by former Saskatchewan coach Eagle Keys. Don Moorhead was recruited at quarterback, and a total of fifty-three different players put on a Lions uniform in a year of change, including movie and TV personality Carl Weathers at linebacker. Running back Jim Evenson finished the season with 1,237 yards to lead the Western Conference in rushing, and won the Eddie James Memorial Trophy. The Lions again finished the season at fourth place in the West Division with a 6–9–1 record, missing the playoffs for a second consecutive year. Parker became the first Lion player inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

In 1972, the Lions added new players such as defensive back Rocky Long, running back Johnny Musso, linebacker Ray Nettles and centre Al Wilson, but finished fifth in their division with a 5–11 record. Young won his second Schenley Award as outstanding Canadian.

The Lions' fortunes improved during the 1973 season, as they posted a 5–9–2 record, good enough for a third-place finish in the Western Conference and a playoff berth, their first in four years. The Lions lost in the semi-finals to the Saskatchewan Roughriders 33–13. Linebacker Nettles won the CFL's Outstanding Defensive Player Award.

In 1974, the Lions showed continued improvement in posting an 8–8 record, and returned to the playoffs for the second straight year. They faced familiar foe Saskatchewan in the semi-finals, where they lost again, 24–14. Second-year running back Lou Harris replaced injured Musso to lead the Lions in both rushing and receiving, winning CFL All-Star honours in the process. Stukus became the first Lion inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame as a builder.

The Lions began the 1975 season with a change at quarterback, as Eric Guthrie and Peter Liske platooned at the position, replacing Moorhead. They lost five of their first six games before a major change was announced in August. General manager Parker and head coach Keys were both dismissed, with Bob Ackles moving up from his assistant general manager post and Cal Murphy elevated to head coach. The Lions played .500 football the rest of the season, but finished in fifth place in their division with a 6–10 record.

The Lions' 1976 season concluded with a 5–9–2 fourth-place finish. Individually, Sciarra became the second Lion to win the Schenley Award as the CFL's most outstanding rookie, while Bill Baker won the Schenley Defensive Player Award. Harry Spring became the second Lion inducted into the Hall of Fame as a builder. Rookies and local talents, linebacker Glen Jackson and punter-kicker Lui Passaglia were two other bright spots in an otherwise disappointing season.

Returning to contention (1977–1982)

A complete off-season overhaul in the coaching staff brought Edmonton assistant Vic Rapp in as the 10th head coach of the Lions as they opened their 1977 season. A revamped Leos lineup included rookies Leon Bright, John Blain, Ken Hinton, and quarterback Jerry Tagge, as well as several newly acquired veterans. The Lions last-minute heroics earned them the nickname, the "Cardiac Kids." They finished with a 10–6 record, good enough for second place in the Western Division—the first time the Lions had finished with a winning record since the Grey Cup year of 1964. BC opened the playoffs with a 33–32 upset of Winnipeg at home before being trounced 38–1 in Edmonton by the Eskimos in the Western Division final. Wide receiver Leon Bright captured the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie award, and Al Wilson became the first Lion to win the CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award.

In 1978, the Lions finished the season at 7–7–2 and in fourth place in their division. Rookie running backs John Henry White and Larry Key provided a much improved rushing game, but depth was still the missing ingredient, as the Leos missed the playoffs. 1978 also saw the emergence of rookie quarterback Joe Paopao, the "Throwin' Samoan."

The Lions' 1979 season began with Tagge at quarterback, but his season—and his career—were ended by a knee injury. Led by Joe Paopao, the Lions skidded down the stretch, losing five games in a row. Despite this, the team finished third in the Western Conference with a 9–6–1 record, making the playoffs. In the semi-finals, the Lions were blasted 37–2 by the Calgary Stampeders. Jim Young retired at the end of the season, and Norm Fieldgate became the second Lions player to be inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Rising costs and an aging Empire Stadium cast a shadow over future prospects. To head off a crisis, the directors, led by past-president Jack Farley, developed a plan to sell stock and seek a strong partnership with a major corporate sponsor to keep operations viable while waiting for the construction of a new stadium in downtown Vancouver.

The Lions failed to make the playoffs in 1980, despite a winning record of 8–7–1. Off the field, the decision was made to begin construction of a new indoor stadium in downtown Vancouver.

In 1981, the Lions returned to the playoffs with a third-place divisional finish and a 10–6 record. The team qualified for the playoffs on the final weekend of the season with a victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in a driving rainstorm at Empire Stadium. The key play was a late fourth-quarter fumble by Saskatchewan fullback Greg Fieger at the Rider two-yard line which the Lions recovered. The Lions turned this into a touchdown two plays later to take the lead for good after Saskatchewan had led for most of the game up to that point. In the playoffs, the Lions again upset the Blue Bombers 15–11 in the semi-finals before losing 22–16 in the Western Division final to eventual Grey Cup champion Edmonton. Paopao and second-year quarterback Roy Dewalt had wide-out Ty Grey as their deep-threat receiver, while rookie defensive back Larry Crawford led the CFL in interceptions. The Labatt Brewing Company became the Lions' major sponsor in a marketing agreement that brought much-needed financial stability to the team.

Standout wide receiver "Swervin'" Mervyn Fernandez was among the rookies who joined the Lions in 1982, winning the Jackie Parker Trophy as the Western Division's most outstanding rookie. Despite a 9–7 record, the Lions finished fourth in their division and failed to make the playoffs. As in the previous four seasons, the Lions got off to a fast start only to stumble badly after Labour Day. In most cases after this point in the season, the Lions lost crucial divisional games by a very large margin. Due to this disturbing trend, head coach Vic Rapp and his entire coaching staff were dismissed at the end of the season. Lions' running back great Willie "The Wisp" Fleming was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

A New Home, the New Western powerhouse (1983-1987)

In January 1983, former Edmonton defensive coordinator Don Matthews was named BC's new head coach. The Lions also moved into the domed BC Place Stadium, their new home stadium, which opened in June 1983. The quarterback-receiver combination of Dewalt to Fernandez led the Lions' attack, while the defence set a new CFL record of 42 interceptions. The Lions finished 11–5 for the second-best record in team history and returned to first place for the first time since the 1964 season. They stormed into the playoffs, defeating Winnipeg in the Western Division finals, 39–21. The Western Division champions hosted the Toronto Argonauts in the 71st Grey Cup, ending a 19-year absence from the classic. BC Place fans watched the Argonauts defeat their hometown team in a taut 18–17 contest.

In 1984, the Lions' biggest trade since the Joe Kapp deal brought CFL All-Star James "Quick" Parker to their defence from Edmonton. The Lions again finished first in the Western Division with a league-leading 12–3–1 record, but the second straight first-place finish was dampened by the late-season loss of quarterback Roy Dewalt to injury. In a repeat Western finals matchup at BC Place, Winnipeg triumphed 31–14 and went on to win their first Grey Cup since 1962. Average crowds in excess of 40,000 in each of the first two years at BC Place reversed the team's financial fortunes, with stockholders receiving early repayment. Lions greats Joe Kapp and linebacker Tom Brown were inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

1985 Grey Cup champions

The Lions' 1985 season began with much promise. Mervyn Fernandez shattered several team receiving records and second-year receiver Jim Sandusky broke the 1,000 yard mark. Rookie defensive tackle Mike Gray was the most visible of several rookies. With depth and few injuries, the final season record of 13–3 was the best in team history, bringing the Lions their third consecutive first-place divisional finish. The Lions avenged their prior year's playoff defeat by beating Winnipeg 42–22. One week later, the same Lions line-up met Hamilton at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Twenty-one years of waiting ended with a 37–24 Grey Cup championship victory over the Tiger-Cats in the 73rd Grey Cup. Quarterback Roy Dewalt won the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player award on offence, while defensive end James "Quick" Parker took home the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player award on defence. Kicker Lui Passaglia was named the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian. Don Matthews won his first CFL Coach of the Year award. Mervyn Fernandez became the first Lion to win the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award and defensive tackle Mike Gray won both the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie award and the Jackie Parker Trophy. Linebacker Tyrone Crews won the first of two consecutive CFL Players Association Outstanding Community Service Awards. The CFL champions returned to Vancouver for a victory celebration that swept across the entire province.

Defending their championship in 1986 proved even harder than winning it the year before, as the Lions battled the Eskimos, Blue Bombers, injuries, and the CFL's newly extended 18-game regular season. The Lions reached the halfway mark at 7–2 losing at Edmonton, and at home to Calgary. The Lions then ran their record to 9–2 before hitting a four-game losing streak, started by back-to-back losses to Edmonton. The Lions rebounded to win back-to-back games against Winnipeg to finish the season 12–6, and second in the Western Division. Under the new playoff format, the Lions met the Bombers for a third straight week, winning the Semi-Finals 21–14, before travelling to Edmonton for the Lions' first Western final road game in four years. The Lions lost their fourth game of the year to the Eskimos 41–5, ending the Lions' hopes of defending their title in front of a home crowd at BC Place. The 1985 Grey Cup title, the prospect of defending the title at home, and the excitement in the area generated from Expo 86 helped the Lions outdraw the Vancouver Canucks in total attendance in 1986, despite the fact the Lions had only nine regular-season home games compared to the Canucks' 40. Off the field, the big news of the year was the departure of general manager Bob Ackles to the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, ending Ackles' 33-year association with the Lions (he returned in 2002). Ackles was replaced by former Montreal general manager Joe Galat in August 1986.

The Lions began their 1987 campaign without the services of stand-out wide receiver Mervyn Fernandez, who left during the offseason to join the Los Angeles Raiders. The season began with a four-game winning streak, but the team seemed to lose focus through the middle of the season, looking invincible in one game and lethargic the next. Entering the last half of the year, the Lions were still in contention for first place but not playing like a team driving for a title. When the team suffered a three-game losing streak, general manager Joe Galat fired Don Matthews, the winningest coach in Lions history with just four games to go. The Lions instantly responded to new coach Larry Donovan, winning the final four games including a thrilling come-from-behind 33–32 victory over Edmonton at Commonwealth Stadium that many observers called the CFL's greatest comeback ever. The win gave the Lions first place in the Western Division for the fourth time in five years with a 12–6 record. Home field advantage at BC Place in the Western final was not enough however, as the Lions fell to the eventual Grey Cup champion Eskimos, 31–7.

Fading into mediocrity (1988–1992)

The CFL's competition cap forced the Lions to start the 1988 season with 22 new faces in their lineup, one of which was star quarterback Matt Dunigan, acquired in a trade with Edmonton. Despite the large number of new players, the Lions jelled and finished the regular season with a 10–8 record. The Lions entered the playoffs with momentum and were touted as Grey Cup favourites. The Leos managed hard-earned playoff victories on the road at Saskatchewan, beating the Roughriders