1994
The Lions entered the 1994 campaign with one of the finest quarterbacks in the history of the CFL at the helm. Kent Austin was acquired in the off-season in a trade involving Ottawa and Saskatchewan which saw Danny Barrett head to the eastern Rough Riders, and Tom Burgess move back to Saskatchewan. Ottawa also provided offensive guard Denny Chronopoulos, big defensive lineman Andrew Stewart and one of the CFL's finest rush linebackers – Angelo Snipes. A group of young, unknown, aggressive linebackers emerged at training camp – Henry Newby, Tyrone Chatman and Virgil Robertson – while the secondary was strengthened at camp with the addition of Charles Gordon and Enis Jackson. The team opened the season at home and gave a taste of things to come with a hard-fought 24-20 victory over Winnipeg. The Lions offensive power was amply demonstrated the following week with a 57-18 thumping of the Ottawa Rough Riders. By the end of August the Lions were 7-1-0, and had broken several single-game offensive records including points with a 67-15 win over Shreveport.
During that period, the secondary was further bolstered with the signing of veteran NFLer James Jefferson while former Super Bowl hero Barry Wilburn joined the team in late September. Nevertheless, the team hit a dry spell, losing close battles to Winnipeg, Edmonton and Saskatchewan. Then, on October 22, Baltimore beat B.C. 48-31 and a playoff run looked out of the question. But a big win over Las Vegas (45-7) and a nail-biting 24-23 loss to Calgary, in a game the Lions should have won, gave new hope. The team travelled to Edmonton for the Western Semi-Final. The Lions had only once won a playoff game in Commonwealth Stadium. And with just over four minutes left, it looked as though they never would. But Charles Gordon's miraculous end-zone interception stopped the Eskimos in their tracks and gave new life to B.C. With Kent Austin at the helm, replacing an injured Danny McManus who had started, the Lions mounted a drive which ate up the clock and the field. Lui Passaglia kicked the winning field goal with 30 seconds to go to give the Lions a tough 24-23 come-from-behind victory. The following week, in the most memorable Western Final ever, and perhaps one of the best football games ever played, the Lions and Stampeders traded touchdowns and field goals all night at McMahon Stadium. Then, in the swirling snow with two minutes remaining and Calgary set to kick a field goal which would put the game out of reach, Ray Alexander leaped up and made an amazing block. Danny McManus, who had replaced Kent Austin in the second half after Austin re-injured a separated shoulder, staged a furious last-minute drive, hitting receivers all the way down the field, including an unbeleviable reception on the four yard line to set up an incredible finish. With Calgary leading 36-31, and four seconds left, McManus found Flutie all alone in the end zone to give the Lions their first playoff victory over Calgary in 30 years, and a berth in the Grey Cup against Baltimore in Vancouver. The dramatics continued the following week in the Grey Cup. With 55,097 cheering fans looking on, the Lions and Stallions staged another thriller with both teams playing great football. Baltimore took a 17-10 lead at halftime and extended it to 20-10 early in the third quarter. But Danny McManus entered the game and the Lions again staged a second-half rally. Seemingly stalled at the Baltimore 30 yard line, Lui Passaglia and Darren Flutie performed a fake field goal to perfection to gain a big first down and completely change the momentum of the game. Then McManus ran in from the two-yard line to score and the game was tied at 20-20. After the teams exchanged field goals and with the score tied at 23-23, McManus engineered another late-game drive to the Baltimore 37 yard line. This time Passaglia missed the field goal with just over one minute remaining. However, B.C.'s defence rose up and stopped Baltimore cold within their own five-yard line. After a punt and a couple of runs to set up the field goal unit, Passaglia trotted out on the field and with no time remaining and kicked the biggest field goal of his life to give the Lions an incredible 26-23 victory, the third Grey Cup in team history.
West Division Team GP W L T PF PA Pts
Calgary Stampeders 18 15 3 0 698 355 30
Edmonton Eskimos 18 13 5 0 518 401 26
British Columbia Lions 18 11 6 1 604 456 23
Saskatchewan Roughriders 18 11 7 0 512 454 22
Sacramento Gold Miners 18 9 8 1 436 436 19
Las Vegas Posse 18 5 13 0 447 622 10
East Division Team GP W L T PF PA Pts
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 18 13 5 0 651 572 26
Baltimore CFLers 18 12 6 0 561 431 24
Toronto Argonauts 18 7 11 0 504 578 14
Ottawa Rough Riders 18 4 14 0 480 647 8
Hamilton Tiger-Cats 18 4 14 0 435 562 8
Shreveport Pirates 18 3 15 0 330 661 6
Semi-Finals - B.C. 24 - Edmonton 23
Semi-Finals - Calgary 36 - Saskatchewan 3
Semi-Finals - Toronto 15 - Baltimore 34
Semi-Finals - Winnipeg 26 - Ottawa 16
Finals - B.C. 37 - Calgary 36 Finals
Baltimore 14 - Winnipeg 12
Grey Cup - B.C. 26 - Baltimore 23
