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.
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.