Lionbackers.com

20 years ago this week Lionbackers.com was launched.

I built the site because I thought the internet was cool and when I found something cool I would try to figure out how they did it, After awhile I got enough skills I thought I would build website of my own. My first thought was a Canucks fan site but there were already a few around so when I found out there was no fans site for the BC Lions I got to work.

In the beginning it was just me reporting on signings and game reports. somewhere in year 1 I went to a database driven user forum much like what is in use today.

First player to visit the site was Robert Drummond.

Just to compare the age of this site to a few others you may have heard of
Facebook 15 years
YouTube 14 years
Twitter 13 years

I want to thank you all for your participation it has been a GREAT hobby and led to a lot of friendships and good times!

Also a big thanks to the Team Captains for their efforts over the years

Well done D and terrific milestone. BTW which came first? Lionbackers.com or the grey hairs?

Interesting because the reasons you give for starting LB are literally identical to why Brad started Total-CFL.

Thank you, D. I missed the first five years but I wouldn’t know what to do without this site nowadays, especially with fewer options for fans seeking news about the Lions. We can count on finding everything here, including some good commentary and analysis.

Thank you D for providing this forum for us to share information, opinions, stats, pics, and links to our favourite football team. This has been a Godsend for me as a fan (haha, you call it a hobby, I call it an obsession) and I am truly thankful for all your hard work through the years. Impressive to think that all of this was self-taught.

What makes this site so enjoyable are the people. I learn so much from others and glean so much useful info from this site. It has often caused me to view things in a different light or consider another opinion, so to all a big "thank you!"




DH

Thanks for creating the site, Derek!

This message board has survived the test of time, even though a lot of members have come and gone. But it survived nevertheless and also withstood competition from at least two others sites: the official BC Lions site and another site created by a former member who decided to create his own site (details not necessary). In both cases, those two competitor sites no longer have message boards, unlike this one.

Congratulations and Happy Anniversary, Derek!

Sometimes, I thought that I was alone as a Lions fan, but when I stumbled onto this site in 2003, I was happy to see that there were other supporters in the wired world. Your hard work and dedication is always appreciated and you should be proud of the community that you have helped build.

And you are still as handsome as ever!

Congrats on 20 years Derek,
This is the go-to site for hardcore Lions fans.
Appreciate your efforts.
Dtrain.

Thanks Derek. With very little Lions coverage, this site is a godsend for info .

I'm looking forward to another year.

Go Lions Go

This group played a big part in me reconnecting with the Lions and CFL. When I moved to Belize in 1999 we only had dial up internet and it was super expensive. So forget about streaming radio of games (or streaming of anything at 64k/ps). There was no CFL on TV in Belize. Quickly the Lions fell of my radar.

When I finally got DSL internet in 2004, one the first things I did was find this group. I was finally able to listen to 1040 broadcasts of Lions games, but more importantly chatting about the BC Lions in this group gave me a community of Lions fans to enjoy the games (and the time in between games) with. I was likely the only person in Belize logging on to 1040 to hear every game, but I wasn't alone. Lionbackers.com helped me rekindle a love affair with the BC Lions that had grown dormant for 5 years.

Thanks Derek!

What are your thoughts and memories about this site over the last 20 years? I've noticed that there have been some significant changes - both in terms of features and members. I'll list some observations and memories since I first joined this site back in 2004:

1. Many members have come and gone, and this includes many members who were in the Hall of Fan site:
viewforum.php?f=22

2. As a continuation of #1, the demographics have changed as well as there used to be a fair amount of women members like bbgirl, CatsEyes, Pinkfreud, Charlene, Mrs. LFITQ, and two Felions Christa and Angela who have all gone now.

3. While the forums were revised, one forum was named after Bob Ackles shortly after his passing. It looks that memorial forum reference is no longer made.

4. For a period of time, Derek created a Snack Bar site which was similar to Lionbackers Pub but was catered for non-adults as well. I remember creating four topics about the best restaurants offering Chinese, Japanese, Italian, and Greek cuisines. It looks like that forum was unpopular and was removed.

5. There was also a page that allowed users to play classic arcade games like Pacman and Donkey Kong, and high scores for each game was recorded. That site is no longer there.

6. Finally, I know about any criticisms and feedback about myself - both positive and negative. Most members like the pictures and videos that I include which include things like trophy presentations. But other members didn't like the fact that I would have a tendency to revive older threads.

My experiences and memories are all positive. I love exchanging viewpoints and learning from others but I also regret that we no longer appear to have many, if any, regular female posters. For any women are reading this thread, please chime in. All backgrounds and perspectives are welcome here.

Congrats on 20 years. It was a pleasure having the chance to have dinner with you before you headed out east. I'm grateful for the venue around which Lions fans from disparate geographies can meet up and build a sense of community, and look forward to 20 more years.