1968 BC Lions season
The 1968 BC Lions finished in fourth place in the Western Conference with a 4–11–1 record and continued to have an inept offense.
| 1968 BC Lions season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Jim Champion |
| Home field | Empire Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–11–1 |
| Division place | 4th, West |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
The Lions scored just 16 touchdowns all season. Finding the long-term replacement for Joe Kapp was difficult, and at one point, assistant coach Jackie Parker, a CFL legend who had retired in 1965, donned the pads for eight games at quarterback. Eventually, former Dallas Cowboys draft pick Paul Brothers won the starting quarterback job and would be the Lions pivot for the next three seasons.
The main brightspot was the Lions transitioning to a kicking specialist as their placekicker, Ted Gerela, accounted for 115 of the team's 217 points and hit 30 fieldgoals (at the time it was not only a CFL record, but a professional record). Another brightspot was rookie fullback Jim Evensen who rushed for 1220 yards and had 4 TDs.
The Lions played their first ever July regular season game as the league slowly transitioned as way from two games a week which were common place in the 1950s and early 1960s.
Regular season
Season standings
| Team | GP | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saskatchewan Roughriders | 16 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 345 | 223 | 25 |
| Calgary Stampeders | 16 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 412 | 249 | 20 |
| Edmonton Eskimos | 16 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 228 | 288 | 17 |
| BC Lions | 16 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 217 | 318 | 9 |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 16 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 210 | 374 | 6 |
Season schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 30 | at Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 18–16 | Win | 1–0 |
| 2 | Aug 6 | vs. Calgary Stampeders | 41–7 | Loss | 1–1 |
| 3 | Aug 15 | vs. Edmonton Eskimos | 18–17 | Loss | 1–2 |
| 4 | Aug 20 | at Edmonton Eskimos | 12–4 | Win | 2–2 |
| 5 | Aug 25 | vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 17–10 | Loss | 2–3 |
| 6 | Sept 2 | at Calgary Stampeders | 26–6 | Loss | 2–4 |
| 7 | Sept 7 | vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders | 14–8 | Loss | 2–5 |
| 8 | Sept 14 | vs. Ottawa Rough Riders | 22–22 | Tie | 2–5–1 |
| 9 | Sept 22 | at Saskatchewan Roughriders | 16–12 | Loss | 2–6–1 |
| 10 | Sept 30 | vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 16–13 | Loss | 2–7–1 |
| 11 | Oct 5 | at Edmonton Eskimos | 13–5 | Loss | 2–8–1 |
| 12 | Oct 12 | at Toronto Argonauts | 43–29 | Loss | 2–9–1 |
| 13 | Oct 14 | at Montreal Alouettes | 13–4 | Win | 3–9–1 |
| 14 | Oct 19 | vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 16–14 | Win | 4–9–1 |
| 15 | Oct 26 | at Calgary Stampeders | 42–23 | Loss | 4–10–1 |
| 16 | Nov 2 | vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders | 12–6 | Loss | 4–11–1 |
Offensive leaders
| Player | Passing yds | Rushing yds | Receiving yds | TD |
| Pete Ohler | 1037 | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Brothers | 1001 | 96 | 0 | 1 |
| Jim Evenson | 1220 | 241 | 5 | |
| Jim Young | 244 | 698 | 2 | |
| Lach Heron | 0 | 452 | 1 | |
| Sonny Homer | 0 | 415 | 4 | |
Awards and records
1968 CFL All-Stars
None
References
- "CFL.ca". Archived from the original on 2009-07-21. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
- "BC Lions All-Time Canadian Football League (CFL) Records". Archived from the original on 2009-05-07. Retrieved 2009-03-08.