BC Lions

Team information

• Inaugural season: 1954
• Home field: BC Place, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• Owner: Amar Doman
• Team colors: Orange, black, and white

Overview

The BC Lions is a Canadian Football League (CFL) team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The team was formed in the early 1950s as Canadian football began to move out to the country’s far western provinces. Named after two “guardian” mountain peaks that overlook the city, the BC Lions struggled to find success for much of their first three decades. The team posted just five winning seasons from 1954 to 1979 and won just one Grey Cup title. After a resurgence in the 1980s and early 1990s, the Lions enjoyed the best period in their history during the early twenty-first century. BC made four Grey Cup finals from 2000 to 2011, winning three championships.

History

The first Canadian football clubs were formed in the late nineteenth century, mainly in the nation’s eastern provinces. By the start of the twentieth century, teams had begun playing in several leagues, also known as unions. One of the most prominent of these was the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (IRFU), which was established in 1907 by teams from Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and Hamilton. In 1936, the Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU) was formed to accommodate teams in western Canada. By 1938, the WIFU consisted of teams from Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton, and Calgary.

Rugby-style football—a precursor of modern gridiron football—was popular in British Columbia during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. By the 1920s, the game had begun to resemble its modern form and was played by several clubs in Vancouver. In 1941, the Vancouver Grizzlies joined the WIFU as a replacement for the Calgary team. The Grizzlies played only one season in the WIFU before the league suspended operations during World War II. When the WIFU reemerged after the war, the Vancouver team did not rejoin.

In 1953, a group led by businessperson Arthur Mercer petitioned the WIFU to add a new team in Vancouver. The group was granted a franchise on the condition that it sold 6,500 season tickets and paid travel expenses for the other four WIFU teams. The team was also required to build a 15,000-seat stadium. The stadium was no problem as a new 32,000-seat facility was being constructed in Vancouver to host the 1954 British Empire Games. When the other conditions were met, the city was officially granted a new franchise. The team was named after the Lions, two mountain peaks that overlook Vancouver and are considered sacred by the local Squamish First Nations people. According to legend, the Lions were seen as the twin guardians of the city.

The Lions began their first season in August 1954 but struggled mightily, winning only one game. In 1958, the IRFU and the WIFU decided to merge, forming the modern Canadian Football League. The Grey Cup, which had been awarded to honor Canada’s best football team since 1909, became the exclusive championship trophy of the CFL. Success on the field was slow to come by as BC had only one winning season from 1955–1962. Yet, despite its losing record, the team remained popular with its fans. Their patience was rewarded in 1963 and 1964 as the Lions made back-to-back Grey Cup finals, winning the championship in 1964. After that brief success, BC reverted back to its losing ways, going from 1965–1977 without finishing a season above .500. In 1978, the Lions updated their logo to what would become its modern look. The logo featured the head of a snarling mountain lion set upon the letters “BC.” At first, the lion’s head was black and the letters orange, but in 1990, the color scheme was flipped. Except for some minor changes, the team has used the same logo since that time.

The BC Lions saw their first era of sustained success in the 1980s, finishing with a winning record every season except for 1989. In 1983, the Lions moved into their new home, BC Place Stadium, a 54,000-seat facility that was the world’s largest air-supported domed stadium at the time. That same year, the team advanced to the Grey Cup before its home fans, only to lose a hard-fought game, 18–17. In 1985, the Lions won their second Grey Cup with a victory over Hamilton. BC made their third championship game appearance of the decade in 1988 but fell short again by a one-point margin, 22–21. BC Place Stadium hosted another Grey Cup final in 1994, but this time, the Lions came out on top in the game’s final seconds, winning 26–23.

The 1990s were a turbulent time for both the Lions and the CFL. The league had attempted and failed to expand into the United States, forcing several franchises to fold or move. BC was also facing financial difficulties and the team changed owners four times from 1990 to 1997. That year, businessperson David Braley bought the franchise, stabilizing it financially and ensuring that it would remain in Vancouver. Braley, who was also a former owner of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts, was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2012.

The Lions set a strange CFL record in 2000 by becoming the only team to win a Grey Cup after posting a losing record during the regular season. For the next decade plus, BC was among the league’s best teams, with only three losing seasons from 2001 to 2014. The Lions made three Grey Cup finals during this time, losing in 2004, but capturing the championship in both 2006 and 2011. However, the latter half of the 2010s was a struggle for the team. BC finished with an above .500 mark only once from 2015 to 2019, winning only one playoff game during that period.

BC business owner Amar Doman purchased the team in 2021 after the death of Braley.

Notable players

More than forty-five former Lions, coaches, or team officials have been inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, either for their time in Vancouver or contributions made with other teams. The franchise has also retired ten jersey numbers in its history. Among the team’s first stars was running back Willie Fleming, who played for BC from 1959 to 1966 and was part of the team’s first championship. Fleming is the Lions’ all-time leading rusher with 6,125 yards. In 1964, he became one of two players in history to rush for a 109-yard touchdown, the longest running play possible under CFL rules. Fleming was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982. The 1964 championship team was quarterbacked by Joe Kapp, who played for BC from 1961 to 1966. Kapp, a Hall-of-Famer since 1984, threw for 16,675 yards for the Lions, fourth-most in franchise history. In 1967, Kapp left the CFL to sign with the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL), leading the team to the 1970 Super Bowl.

Jim Young was a versatile offense weapon who played running back, tight end, and wide receiver for the Lions from 1967 to 1979. Young earned the nickname “Dirty Thirty” as a reference to both his uniform number and tough, aggressive style of play. He entered the Hall of Fame in 1991. In 1976, BC drafted Vancouver native Lui Passaglia as a combination kicker/punter. Passaglia played for BC for twenty-five seasons before retiring after winning the 2000 Grey Cup. His 875 field goals and 3,991 points scored are not only franchise records, but also career CFL marks as well. Passaglia’s signature moment came in the 1985 Grey Cup game when his last-second field goal gave the Lions their second championship. Passaglia was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004. Another member of the 1985 team, Al Wilson, was considered one of the CFL’s best offensive linemen and named to the Hall of Fame in 1997.

In 1990, former Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie joined the Lions as quarterback. Flutie was an American collegiate star and played for several teams in the NFL. He played only two seasons with BC before signing with Calgary. However, in 1991, Flutie threw for 6,619 yards, a franchise mark and an all-time CFL record that still stands as of 2024. For his body of work over his CFL career, Flutie was named to the Hall of Fame in 2008. The Lions’ all-time leading passer was Damon Allen, who threw for 27,621 yards and 136 touchdowns from 1996 to 2002. One of the architects of the team’s success in the 1980s was quarterback Roy Dewalt, who finished with 26,718 career passing yards and 129 touchdowns.

The Lions' all-time leading receiver was Geroy Simon, who played for the team from 2001 to 2012. Simon compiled a franchise-best 904 receptions and 14,756 receiving yards while with BC. His career numbers of 1,029 receptions is second all-time, while his 16,352 receiving yards is the most in CFL history. Simon was named to the Hall of Fame in 2017. Linebacker Solomon Elimimian, who played for the Lions from 2010 to 2018, was the only player in CFL history to win the Rookie of the Year Award (2010), the Most Outstanding Player Award (2014), and the Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award (2014, 2016).

Bibliography

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