1971 BC Lions season
The 1971 BC Lions finished in fourth place in the Western Conference, with a 6–9–1 record, and failed to make the playoffs.
| 1971 BC Lions season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Eagle Keys |
| Home field | Empire Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 6–9–1 |
| Division place | 4th, West |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
| Uniform | |
 | |
On January 1, Eagle Keys was hired as head coach after coaching Saskatchewan to four consecutive 12+ win seasons, including a 14–2 record in 1970. However, the Lions did not have the talent that the Roughriders had accumulated, and the Lions had a second consecutive 6-win season.
Jim Evenson had another outstanding season and finally won the CFL rushing title, with 1247 yards rushing, and was the lone Lion on the CFL all-star team.
During the season rookie Don Moorhead gradually won the starting quarterback job due to injuries and performance issues with incumbent 3-year starter Paul Brothers (who was traded to Ottawa late in the season) and backup Tom Wilkinson.
Carl Weathers, who later became better known as an actor, joined the team as a linebacker and was on the Lions roster until 1973.
For the season, the Lions helmet had a special logo celebrating British Columbia's centennial. The Canadian Confederacy Centennial logo has three orange Cs linked with a small white Pacific dogwood flower at the centre.
Offseason
CFL Draft
| Rd | Pick | Player | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Roster
| 1971 BC Lions roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running backs Wide receivers Slotbacks |
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen |
Linebackers
Defensive backs Special teams |
Inactive list
Practice roster Italics indicate import players. | |||
Preseason
| Date | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
Regular season
Season standings
| Team | GP | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary Stampeders | 16 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 290 | 218 | 19 |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders | 16 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 347 | 316 | 19 |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 16 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 366 | 349 | 15 |
| BC Lions | 16 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 282 | 363 | 13 |
| Edmonton Eskimos | 16 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 237 | 305 | 12 |
Season schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 27 | vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders | 14–10 | Loss | 0–1 |
| 2 | Aug 4 | at Edmonton Eskimos | 20–19 | Loss | 0–2 |
| 3 | Aug 9 | at Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 29–16 | Win | 1–2 |
| 4 | Aug 18 | vs. Edmonton Eskimos | 11–1 | Win | 2–2 |
| 5 | Aug 24 | at Calgary Stampeders | 32–1 | Loss | 2–3 |
| 6 | Aug 29 | vs. Toronto Argonauts | 27–24 | Win | 3–3 |
| 7 | Sept 6 | at Saskatchewan Roughriders | 35–14 | Loss | 3–4 |
| 8 | Sept 12 | vs. Calgary Stampeders | 25–10 | Loss | 3–5 |
| 9 | Sept 19 | at Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 31–31 | Tie | 3–5–1 |
| 10 | Sept 25 | vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 25–18 | Win | 4–5–1 |
| 11 | Oct 2 | vs. Montreal Alouettes | 28–0 | Win | 5–5–1 |
| 12 | Oct 9 | at Ottawa Rough Riders | 45–21 | Loss | 5–6–1 |
| 13 | Oct 11 | at Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 36–3 | Loss | 5–7–1 |
| 14 | Oct 16 | vs. Edmonton Eskimos | 9–4 | Loss | 5–8–1 |
| 15 | Oct 24 | at Saskatchewan Roughriders | 50–14 | Loss | 5–9–1 |
| 16 | Oct 30 | vs. Calgary Stampeders | 31–7 | Win | 6–9–1 |
Offensive leaders
| Player | Passing yds | Rushing yds | Receiving yds | TD |
| Don Moorhead | 1302 | 349 | 26 | 1 |
| Jim Evenson | 1237 | 77 | 8 | |
| Jim Young | 220 | 593 | 7 | |
| Larry Highbaugh | 327 | 488 | 5 | |
Awards and records
1971 CFL All-Stars
- RB – Jim Evenson, CFL All-Star
References
- "CFL.ca". Archived from the original on 2009-07-22. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
- "British Columbia Lions All-Time Canadian Football League (CFL) Records". Archived from the original on 2009-05-07. Retrieved 2009-03-08.