- Damon Allen holds franchise records in four categories, including passing yards and passing touchdowns.
- Lui Passaglia played 25 seasons for the Lions.
- Geroy Simon holds the Lions record for most receiving yards with 14,756.
Heading into the 2024 season, the BC Lions are among the better teams when it comes to football odds to win the Grey Cup. They seek their seventh all-time.
The Lions won their first Grey Cup in 1964, their most recent in 2011, and they’ve won three since 2000.
The team was founded in 1954, and with several decades of the team having come and gone, there’s been a plethora of talent.
With that, I’ll explore the annals of the Lions history and give you my top five players of all time below.
Let’s dive in.
5 Best BC Lions Players of All Time
| Rank | Player | Position | UConn Years |
| 1 | Damon Allen | QB | 1996-2002 |
| 2 | Lui Passaglia | K | 1976-2000 |
| 3 | Al "Dirt" Wilson | OL | 1972-1986 |
| 4 | Geroy Simon | WR | 2001-2012 |
| 5 | Jim Young | WR | 1967-1979 |
1. Damon Allen
Playing for the Lions from 1996 to 2002, Allen holds Lions franchise records for passing yards (27,621), pass attempts (3,421), pass completions (2,037), and passing touchdowns (136).
He won the 2000 Grey Cup with the team against the Montreal Alouettes via a score of 28-26.
Allen was a CFL West Division All-Star in 1999. That season, he threw for 4,219 yards and 22 touchdowns and had 136 rush attempts for 785 yards and eight touchdowns.
The younger brother of Pro Football Hall of Famer Marcus Allen was inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame in 2012.
H 2. Lui Passaglia
Starting his career in 1976, Passaglia played in the CFL until 2000, all with the Lions. I put him second here because Allen is a quarterback, but Passaglia’s legacy cannot be understated.
He holds franchise records in field goals (875), Grey Cup wins (three), most games played (408), most seasons played (25), and most points (3,991).
OTD 1994 @BCLions #Stallions
Lui Passaglia is good from 38 and the Grey Cup stays in Canada.#Lions#CFL
pic.twitter.com/mF23kRrVeO pic.twitter.com/ljbimTrzjv— Old Time Football 🏈 (@Ol_TimeFootball) November 28, 2023
His records may never be broken. His 25 seasons are nearly 10 more than the next on the list, and he has hundreds more field goals than the second-most.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.
3. Al “Dirt” Wilson
Wilson played his entire career with the Lions from 1972 to 1986, and the Lions retired his No. 52. He was the CFL’s Most Outstanding Lineman in 1977, and he was also a CFL All-Star and CFL West All-Star every year from 1975 to 1981.
Wilson played the third-most games in franchise history (233) and the third-most seasons played (15).
At one point in his career, he played 167 straight games before a knee injury in 1982.
He played both guard and centre.
Wilson was inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame in 1997.
4. Geroy Simon
A wide receiver for the Lions from 2001 to 2012, Simon not only won two Grey Cups with the team, but he holds franchise records in touchdowns (94), receiving touchdowns (93), receiving yards (14,756), and receptions (904).
In 2004, he became the third player in Lions history to catch 100 passes.
In his Grey Cup wins he had eight catches for 120 yards.
Simon was a member of the 2017 CFL Hall of Fame class.
5. Jim Young
After a couple of years with the Minnesota Vikings, Young went a tad more north to play for the Lions from 1967 to 1979.
Yong was a two-time Most Outstanding Canadian in 1970 and 1972, a CFL All-Star in 1972, and a CFL West All-Star in 1969 and 1972.
His No. 30 was retired by the team, and he joined the CFL Hall of Fame in 1991.
He played 197 games for the Lions (13 seasons), is fourth in touchdowns (68), second in receiving touchdowns (65), second in receiving yards (9,248), and third in receptions (552).