- 1953
- 1965
- 1985
- 1994
- 2000
- 2006
- 2011
-
Lions Team Formation
1On January 22, 1953, the first annual meeting of the club was held. In that meeting, Arthur E. Mercer was hired as the club’s first president. Later in the year, Mercer, Bill Morgan, Bill Ralston, and Whit Matthews went back to the WlFU meetings. This time, they sold the idea of a fifth Western team, and Vancouver was granted a ... -
Grey Cup Champs 1964
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. In the rematch, BC got their revenge as Kapp, Fleming, and Bill Munsey, who gave a two-touchdown, two-way starring effort, helped ... -
Grey Cup Champs 1985
The Lions’ 1985 season began with much promise. Mervyn Fernandez shattered several teams 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 the depth and few injuries, the final season record of 13–3 was the best in team history, bringing the Lions their third consecutive ... -
Grey Cup Champs 1994
The 82nd Grey Cup was the 1994 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Baltimore Football Club and the BC Lions at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was the first championship in professional football history to feature a United States-vs-Canada matchup. The Lions won the game by a score of 26–23, on a last-second field-goal by ... -
Grey Cup Champs 2000
The 88th Grey Cup (Canadian Football League championship) was held in 2000 in Calgary. The BC Lions won the game 28–26 over the Montreal Alouettes. The Lions, who finished 8–10 with an overtime loss during the regular season, became the first team ever to finish with a regular-season record below .500 and win the Grey Cup. -
Grey Cup Champs 2006
The 94th Grey Cup game took place on November 19, 2006, at Canad Inns Stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba before 44,786 fans. Ticket prices ranged from $141 and $275. The game decided the championship of the 2006 Canadian Football League season. The BC Lions defeated the Montreal Alouettes, 25-14. -
Grey Cup Champs 2011
The 99th Grey Cup was a Canadian football game between the East Division champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the West Division champion BC Lions to decide the champion of the Canadian Football League in the 2011 season. The Lions defeated the Blue Bombers 34–23 and became the first team in CFL history to win the Grey Cup after starting the season with five straight losses. They also became the first team to win the championship ...
History of the 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. As such, they are the oldest professional sports franchise in the city of Vancouver and in the province of British Columbia. They have appeared in the league's Grey Cup championship game 10 times, winning six of those games, with their most recent championship occurring in 2011.
The Lions were the first Western Canadian team to have won the Grey Cup at home, having done so in 1994 and 2011, before Saskatchewan won in 2013, while also becoming the only team to beat an American-based franchise in a championship game, a feat accomplished in 1994. The Lions hold the second-longest playoff streak in CFL history, making the playoffs every season from 1997 to 2016, failing to make the playoffs for the first time in over 20 seasons in 2017 (only the Edmonton Elks have had a longer playoff streak; theirs lasted for 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.
Established
1954
City
Vancouver
League History
1958 – Present / Canadian Football League
Team History
1954 - Present / BC Lions
Nickname
Lions - The B.C. franchise adopted the Lions nickname after a fan contest to select the team's moniker before their inaugural 1954 season. The name Lions comes from the twin mountain peaks north of Vancouver who are said to be guarding Vancouver.
Championship
Grey Cup 6
2011, 2006, 2000, 1994, 1985, 1964
Stadium
1983 - Present / BC Place
1954 - 1982 / Empire Stadium
Owner
1996 - Present / David Braley
1996 / Canadian Football League
1996 / Nelson Skalbania and Michael Jensen
1992 - 1996 / Bill Comrie
1992 / Canadian Football League
1989 - 1992 / Murray Pezim
1953 - 1989 / Community - Widely Held
1956 - 1960 / John Bassett, Charlie Burns and Eric Cradock
1873 - 1956 / Community - Widely Held
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
Retired Number
5 / Lui Passaglia
15 / Willie "The Wisp" Fleming
22 / Joe Kapp
30 / Jim "Dirty Thirty" Young
38 / Byron "By" Bailey
52 / Al Wilson
60 / Jamie Taras
64 / Angus Ried
75 / Norm Fieldgate
81 / Geroy Simon
97 / Brent Johnson
*Blue is this team’s history