We've certainly had several threads about favourite and top Lions, and it's always difficult to limit this since there are certainly so many good candidates. As such, it's easier to limit this by position, by date era, by award winners, etc. But even though, it can still be very difficult to choose and as such, there's certainly a lot personal bias.
Obviously a general consensus is that the player, aside from being great, also spent a fair amount of time and built a lot seniority with the team:
https://d3ham790trbkqy.cloudfront.net/w ... l-2018.pdf and as such, Lions who are added the Wall of Fame/Ring of Honour not only did well, but had a lot of seniority and as such, great but short-term Lions will never be added to such fame club.
For me personally as I try to compose such a list, to help me decide I will add a third condition aside from 1) Doing well, and 2) Built seniority and that is 3) He never played with another CFL team which will inevitably "cloud" one's opinion especially if that player was also a huge rival for the Lions.
David, sorry to have to exceed the 5 player limit, but I'll at least limit this to six positions: Quarterback, Receivers, Defensive Players, Offensive Lineman, Running Backs, and Special Teams. But at least in four cases of the six positions, I can easily narrow it down to just one player as very few other players meet the condition of not playing with another CFL team.
1. Quarterback: Travis Lulay
The only great Lions QB who never played for another CFL team. All the other great Lions quarterbacks like Flutie, Dunigan, Allen, McManus, Dickenson, Pierce, and to a lesser extent Dewalt, Printers, and Kapp all played for other CFL teams in their careers and some of them did very well for the other team and thus, were also a huge rival as well and when one remembers them, one is less likely to remember them as a Lion.
2. Receivers: Jim Young
He spent his entire 13-year CFL career as a Lion. Other long-term great Lion receivers like Simon, Clermont, P. Jackson, Arceneaux, Alexander, Darren Flutie, Sandusky, D. Williams have all played for the CFL teams while Mervyn Fernandez decided to bolt for the NFL and had a less-than-memorable return in 1994.
3. Defensive Players: Brent Johnson, Glen Jackson, Norm Fieldgate
Three great long-term defensive Lions who devoted their entire career as a BC Lion.
4. Offensive Lineman: Jamie Taras, Al Wilson, Cory Mantyka
Three great long-term offensive linemen Lions who devoted their entire career as a BC Lion. Angus Reid would be a good candidate but he started his career as an Alouettte.
5. Running Back: Willie Fleming
Fleming holds Lions individual record with most rushing yardage at 6,125 and was a Lion throughout his entire CFL season while John Henry White and Larry Key would have honourable mentions. Jim Evenson, Sean Millington and recently Andrew Harris would be good candidates but clearly have played for other CFL teams.
6. Special Teams: Lui Passaglia
Enough said with his 25-years as a Lion, plus his subsequent years as a coach/staff member. The closest rival would be Paul McCallum but he's also obviously and infamously remembered as a Roughrider over his huge mistaken in the 2004 WDF.