The 1971 BC Lions finished in fourth place in the Western Conference, with a 6–9–1 record, and failed to make the playoffs.
On January 1, Eagle Keys was hired as head coach after coaching Saskatchewan to four consecutive 12+ win seasons, including a 14–2 record in 1970. However, the Lions did not have the talent that the Roughriders had accumulated, and the Lions had a second consecutive 6-win season.
Jim Evenson had another outstanding season and finally won the CFL rushing title, with 1247 yards rushing, and was the lone Lion on the CFL all-star team.
During the season rookie Don Moorhead gradually won the starting quarterback job due to injuries and performance issues with incumbent 3-year starter Paul Brothers (who was traded to Ottawa late in the season) and backup Tom Wilkinson.
Carl Weathers, who later became better known as an actor, joined the team as a linebacker and was on the Lions roster until 1973.
For the season, the Lions helmet had a special logo celebrating British Columbia's centennial. The Canadian Confederacy Centennial logo has three orange Cs linked with a small white Pacific dogwood flower at the centre.
Offseason CFL draft RoundPickPlayerPositionSchool
Roster 1971 BC Lions roster Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Slotbacks Offensive linemen T
Defensive linemen Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams Inactive list
Practice roster
Italics indicate import players.
Preseason Game Date Opponent Results Venue Attendance Score Record
Regular season Season standings + Western Football Conference Team GP W L T PF PA PtsCalgary Stampeders 16 9 6 1 290 218 19 Saskatchewan Roughriders 16 9 6 1 347 316 19 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 16 7 8 1 366 349 15 BC Lions 16 6 9 1 282 363 13 Edmonton Eskimos 16 6 10 0 237 305 12
Season schedule Game Date Opponent Results Score Record 1 July 27 vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders L 10–14 0–1 2 Aug 4 at Edmonton Eskimos L 19–20 0–2 3 Aug 9 at Winnipeg Blue Bombers W 29–16 1–2 4 Aug 18 vs. Edmonton Eskimos W 11–1 2–2 5 Aug 24 at Calgary Stampeders L 1–32 2–3 6 Aug 29 vs. Toronto Argonauts W 27–24 3–3 7 Sept 6 at Saskatchewan Roughriders L 14–35 3–4 8 Sept 12 vs. Calgary Stampeders L 10–25 3–5 9 Sept 19 at Winnipeg Blue Bombers T 31–31 3–5–1 10 Sept 25 vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers W 25–18 4–5–1 11 Oct 2 vs. Montreal Alouettes W 28–0 5–5–1 12 Oct 9 at Ottawa Rough Riders L 21–45 5–6–1 13 Oct 11 at Hamilton Tiger-Cats L 3–36 5–7–1 14 Oct 16 vs. Edmonton Eskimos L 4–9 5–8–1 15 Oct 24 at Saskatchewan Roughriders L 14–50 5–9–1 16 Oct 30 vs. Calgary Stampeders W 31–7 6–9–1
Offensive leaders Player Passing ydsRushing ydsReceiving ydsTD Don Moorhead 1302 349261 Jim Evenson 1237778 Jim Young 2205937 Larry Highbaugh 3274885
Awards and records 1971 CFL All-Stars RB – Jim Evenson, CFL All-Star
References