1964 BC Lions season
The 1964 BC Lions finished the season in first place in the Western Conference with an 11–2–3 record, the fewest losses in one season in team history. Of the eight retired numbers in team history, four of those players played on the 1964 team. The Lions began the season undefeated in ten games and were 10–1–1 against western opponents. The Lions' defense was, once again, outstanding as they allowed a team record 10.5 points and 245 yards per game. Joe Kapp would lead the CFL is passing with 2816 yards through the air and 194 completions.
| 1964 BC Lions season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Dave Skrien |
| Home field | Empire Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 11–2–3 |
| Division place | 1st, West |
| Playoff finish | Won Grey Cup |
| Uniform | |
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The Lions won the Western Finals over Calgary, taking two games to one, sending them to the Grey Cup Once again, the Lions met the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 52nd Grey Cup in a rematch of the previous year's game. After taking a 34–8 lead into the fourth quarter, the Lions cruised to their first championship by a score of 34–24 on the heels of defensive back and backup fullback Bill Munsey's two touchdown performance. Converted defensive back By Bailey, who scored the first touchdown in Lions' history, retired after the game, ending his 11-year CFL career.
The Lions had six CFL All-stars, including quarterback Joe Kapp, offensive tackle Lonnie Dennis, defensive tackle Mike Cacic, defensive end Dick Fouts, middle guard Tom Brown, and Bill Munsey at defensive back.
The Schenley for the CFL's Most Outstanding Lineman went to defensive lineman Tom Brown for a second season in a row.
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | July 16 | at Ottawa Rough Riders | L 6–21 | 0–1 | 15,020 |
| A | July 20 | vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats | L 0–3 | 0–2 | 17,720 |
| B | July 29 | vs. Toronto Argonauts | L 17–26 | 0–3 | 24,033 |
Regular season
Season standings
| Team | GP | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC Lions | 16 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 328 | 168 | 25 |
| Calgary Stampeders | 16 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 352 | 349 | 24 |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 330 | 282 | 18 |
| Edmonton Eskimos | 16 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 222 | 458 | 8 |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 16 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 270 | 397 | 3 |
Season schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 4 | at Winnipeg Blue Bombers | T 10–10 | 0–0–1 | 15,125 |
| 2 | Aug 10 | vs. Calgary Stampeders | W 22–4 | 1–0–1 | 32,664 |
| 3 | Aug 14 | at Saskatchewan Roughriders | W 17–2 | 2–0–1 | 17,787 |
| 4 | Aug 19 | vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders | W 27–16 | 3–0–1 | 35,618 |
| 5 | Aug 30 | vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers | W 21–4 | 4–0–1 | 33,607 |
| 6 | Sept 8 | vs. Ottawa Rough Riders | T 17–17 | 4–0–2 | 31,355 |
| 7 | Sept 19 | at Edmonton Eskimos | W 49–6 | 5–0–2 | 21,000 |
| 8 | Sept 22 | at Calgary Stampeders | W 12–7 | 6–0–2 | 19,546 |
| 9 | Sept 26 | vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats | T 16–16 | 6–0–3 | 37,008 |
| 10 | Oct 3 | at Toronto Argonauts | W 20–15 | 7–0–3 | 27,249 |
| 11 | Oct 5 | at Montreal Alouettes | L 7–14 | 7–1–3 | 17,084 |
| 12 | Oct 10 | vs. Edmonton Eskimos | W 26–6 | 8–1–3 | 29,277 |
| 13 | Oct 17 | at Edmonton Eskimos | W 24–14 | 9–1–3 | 12,000 |
| 14 | Oct 24 | vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders | W 20–3 | 10–1–3 | 30,856 |
| 15 | Oct 28 | at Calgary Stampeders | L 14–26 | 10–2–3 | 20,000 |
| 16 | Nov 1 | vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers | W 26–8 | 11–2–3 | 29,614 |
Playoffs
West Finals
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- BC wins the best-of-three series 2–1 and advance to the Grey Cup Championship game.
Grey Cup
| November 28
52nd Annual Grey Cup Game: Exhibition Stadium – Toronto, Ontario | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Champion | Eastern Champion | ||
| BC Lions 34 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats 24 | ||
| The BC Lions are the 1964 Grey Cup Champions. | |||
Offensive leaders
| Player | Passing yds | Rushing yds | Receiving yds | TD |
| Joe Kapp | 2816 | 370 | 0 | 6 |
| Willie Fleming | 750 | 473 | 10 | |
| Bob Swift | 1054 | 80 | 11 | |
| Sonny Homer | 0 | 776 | 4 | |
| Mack Burton | 0 | 636 | 3 | |
| Pat Claridge | 0 | 577 | 1 | |
Awards and records
- CFL's Most Outstanding Lineman Award – Tom Brown (LB)
- Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy – Tom Brown (LB)
1964 CFL All-Stars
- QB – Joe Kapp, CFL All-Star
- OT – Lonnie Dennis, CFL All-Star
- DT – Mike Cacic, CFL All-Star
- DE – Dick Fouts, CFL All-Star
- MG – Tom Brown, CFL All-Star
- DB – Bill Munsey, CFL All-Star
References
- "CFL.ca". Archived from the original on 2012-03-02. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
- "BC Lions All-Time Canadian Football League (CFL) Records". Archived from the original on 2009-03-11. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
- "CFL.ca - Official Site of the Canadian Football League". Archived from the original on 2010-12-13. Retrieved 2011-03-11.