Lionbackers.com

Interesting fact presented by LU today in his blog:

… That number ($200,000 presented to amateur football in B.C. collected from 50/50 draws at Lions games last year) might explain a few more numbers uncovered by the Lions this week. In a recent study by Harris/Decima Research, the Lions, Canucks and Whitecaps ranked higher among 13,000 Canadian fans polled than any major market across the country with respect to fan loyalty. The research company measures brand familiarity and a willingness to support a team. As Harris/Decima’s Scott Dunstall writes, “A strong and connected fan base is no guarantee of success – either in the league or at the box office, but it certainly is an important part of the overall success of franchises.”

This got me thinking, "how did you become a diehard Lions fan, and what year did you really start to follow the team?"

I'd be interested in your response to this question.


DH

1972 is when I really started to follow the team and I chose the Lions because I'm a homer

1963. Those were the glory days of Joe Kapp, Willie Fleming and Tom Brown. I enrolled that year at Vancouver College, where we played tackle football in our school clothes every day before and after school, as well as during lunch hour and gym periods. Cal Murphy was varsity head coach, but I never got a chance to play for him. I got my first season tickets a few years later in 1967.

My Dad took me to some games at Empire Stadium in 1970 and '71 when I was a kid, and I was hooked for life. Moreover, there was so much stuff to collect in 1971, so even though they weren't a particularly good team, it was very easy for an 8-year old Vancouver kid to identify with the players:

* O-Pee-Chee (Topps) CFL player cards / bonus player posters
* Chevron (Standard Oil) Lions 3x5 player cards
* Royal Bank 4x6 Lions player photos
* Jim Young Growth Chart poster
* Eddie Sargent CFL sticker book

The Cardiac Kids team really captured my imagination in '77 and I've never looked back. I do owe a lot to this man - my first favourite player "Dirty 30":




DH

I was 5 at the time of the 1994 Grey Cup. I remember watching the game at home with my Mom and brother. I didn't really understand the concept of "flags" or penalties, so every time the ref announced the penalty, I'd look over to my Mom and she'd give me a thumbs up or a thumbs down. To this day, I remember A LOT more thumbs up than thumbs down. Incredible. I remember having the feeling of things going our way. Probably my earliest childhood memory.

Started becoming diehard during the 2004 season with the memories of 1994 being a catalyst to that.

Playing community football in the days of Kapp and Fleming.

Getting to ride in the Grey Cup parade for Kiwanis as a league MVP.

Joe Kapp ruled the town in those days. We were selling tickets for some organization or other, and one of the mothers excitedly told us that Joe himself answered the door at one house.

I remember reading Jack Wasserman (a gossip columnist) talking about Joe Kapp. Kapp had just bought his first house (in West Vanvouver I think). Kapp took Wasserman to see it. They were looking at it through the trees from outside the property before Kapp could take possession. I think Kapp said something to the effect of: "Not bad for a poor kid of Mexican and German heritage." Or he might even have called himself a Chicano, as he often did.

I think it was Willie Fleming that really captured my imagination. He must have been Vancouver's first superstar athlete in modern times. Front page of the Sun, scoring a long TD run, wearing number #92, later changed to #15.

I was lucky. When my appetite go going for the pro-games (CFL- Lions/ NHL Canucks) was a time both teams had some playoff success (early to mid 80's). The labour strife in pro hockey has made it easy to be a Lions fan. Having Fernandez on our team was what got me/my friends jacked to watch the Lions. I in choosing my team, I'm a homer too, but in terms of how I judge the officiating, I try to not be a homer....

This latest era of Ackles/Buono/Braley has made it really easy to be an even stronger Lions fan. They care(d), so I'm not wasting my time caring too....

My family moved to a small town in Saskatchewan in 1981, from kamloops, I was 13 years old. Of course, the Riders were the big thing in Sask. My twin brother and me were quite adept at football on the playground, and of course, were obligated to defend our home province of BC. This was the transition years of Vic Rapp to Don Matthews. The emergence of Roy DeWalt and the dominance of Mervyn Fernandez was exciting and energetic. BC Place was about to completed and the Lions were about to commence their 80's renaissance years. Good times!

Watching Paul Brothers, Jim Evansen, Garret Hunsberger, Leroy Sledge, Carl Weathers & Co... all from the comfort of the rain drenched Woodwards/McDonalds Quarterback club - ground level, end zone... I was hooked for life!

Attended my first Lions game in grade 10 and haven't missed a game since. On the first ever offensive play, Ron Lancaster faked a plunge into the line by George Reed and rolled to his right and threw a long touchdown to Gordie Barwell beating Bill Munsey who had come up to stop Reed. Prior to attending the Lions game I followed them listening to the play by play on radio on NW with Jim Cox.

My school pals got me into Gordon Sturtridge football and this was the 2nd year of the Lions. As I continued to play the Lions were the toast of the town even if not winning. Started going to games on our own very young and would get down to Woodwards a Park Royal to buy QB Club tickets the day they went on sale.

But in those days we were Lion fans but we had players on all teams that we liked - not like now where it is more die hard fans.

Tony Proudfoot, Wally Buono and Bob Ackles in 2011. Never too late to start. Now my second year as a season ticket holder.

Started attending Montreal Alouettes games in 1972 and was a fan through the Wally Buono, Sonny Wade and Peter Dalla Riva glory days of the 70's...and the not so glory years of Vince Ferragamo, Nelson Skalbania and the renamed Montreal Concordes of the 80's. In 1987, "my team" folded and although I still followed the CFL, I didn't have a "home" team to support until moving to B.C. in 1994.

Since then, I have become a diehard Lions fan, season ticket holder since 2004, and in fact...have missed only 2 home games since 1995.

Oh, all the orange and black in my house is also a constant reminder!

I'm a sports junkie. Growing up in the Comox Valley I was a fan of hockey, baseball and football since before I can remember. I don't even really know why I gravitated to sports so early but by the time I was 6 or 7 I was a devoted fan of not only the Lions, but Baltimore Colts (Unitas), Detroit Red Wings (Howe) and San Francisco Giants (Mays). I still hold all those allegiances. In addition to listening to the Lions on radio I also listened to the PCL Vancouver Mounties and WHL Vancouver Canucks. As such becoming a Lions fan was just an extension of that early interest in sports. If there was a puck or ball involved I followed it. What really would've cemented the love for the Lions was the fact they regularly trained in Courtenay in those years. The first time I recall seeing them live was when my parents took me up to Courtenay to watch them in training camp in 1965. It wouldn't be until I had my drivers licence and got permission to take the family car over to Vancouver when I was 17 that I first saw a CFL game.