Dino Bucciol

Dino Bucciol was a star quarterback playing for East Vancouver’s Notre Dame Regional Secondary School where he was a junior champion in 1985 and a senior champion in 1987. He was recruited to join Simon Fraser University after his high school days.

He saw a lot of success playing in Italy with the Bergamo Lions of the Italian Football League and was part of three straight Eurobowl championships from 2000 to 2002. He also played in Germany as well.

Brent Johnson

Brent Johnson spent his entire 11 season career in the Canadian Football League with the BC Lions from 2001 to 2011.

Drafted by the Lions in the third round, 20th overall in the 2000 CFL Draft out of Ohio State University where he was selected to the All-Big 10 team in 2000, Brent was a two-time winner of the CFL Most Outstanding Canadian Award in 2005 and 2006 where he led the CFL in sacks in both seasons. He also won the CFL Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award in 2006 and was a three-time CFL All-Star (2005, 2006, 2008).

Brent was part of two Grey Cup championship teams with the Lions in 2005 and 2011. At the time of his retirement, he held the BC Lions record for all-time sacks with 89.

Brent was inducted into the BC Lions Wall of Fame on August 18, 2017.

Gordon Penn

Gordon Penn was a star running back with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the mid-1970s.

A graduate of Handsworth Secondary in North Vancouver who led the Handsworth Royals to their first-ever provincial championship appearance in 1973 (the team would capture their first title the following year after Gordon had graduated), he was a two-time Canada West All-Star (1975, 1976), the winner of the Frank Gnup Memorial Trophy as the Canada West Player of the Year in 1976, as well as the MVP of the Churchill Bowl in 1978 en route to leading UBC to their first-ever Vanier Cup berth.

Gordon was a member of two Canada West Championship Teams at UBC in 1976 and 1978. He was drafted by the Calgary Stampeders in the 1976 CFL Draft.

Following his playing career, Gordon taught and coached at Vancouver College before retiring in 2014 in 2014.

George Puil

George Puil was a highly-coveted recruit when he arrived on scene at UBC in 1949 as a football and rugby player. In his first season, he was responsible for half the football team’s touchdowns before moving over to the rugby team where he was part of their McKechnie Cup-winning team.

His prowess on the football and rugby field was so dominant that Ubyssey sports reporter Allan Fotheringham declared him to be “the most dangerous broken field runner ever to pull on a Thunderbird sweater” in 1951. On the rugby side, George was part of three McKechnie Cup championships overall. As a football star, he was named to the Evergreen Conference All-Star Football team in 1952.

George was inducted into the UBC Sports Hall of Fame in 1994, and received the UBC Alumni Achievement Award in 2000.

He is also a recipient of a BC Community Achievement Award for his work in public service including time spent as a parks board commissioner and elected Councillor.

Geroy Simon

Geroy Simon is arguably the best receiver in the history of the Canadian Football League. His hall-of-fame career spanned 15 seasons, 12 of which were spent as a member of the BC Lions.

A native of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Geroy is the all-time career leader in CFL receiving yards with 16,352 and third in touchdown receptions with 103 as of 2017. For a time, he was also the leader in pass receptions with 1,029 before being passed by the Montreal Alouettes’ Nik Lewis during the 2017 season.

He was a member of three Grey Cup championship teams, twice with the BC Lions (2006, 2011) and once with the Saskatchewan Roughriders (2013) in his final CFL season, and was a CFL All-Star in six of his 15 seasons. He won the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player Award in 2006.

Geroy was a standout, record-setting player at the University of Maryland prior to beginning his professional career. He also had a brief stint on the practice roster of the Pittsburgh Steelers before making the full-time move to the CFL.

Geroy is a well-known figure in the community often donating his time to helping the Lions community programs as well as coaching amateur football in Cloverdale. Since retiring as an active player, Geroy has made to the move to the front office first working with the Saskatchewan Roughriders returning to the BC Lions fold.

The 2017 calendar year has proven to be a ‘Hall’ of a year for Geroy. In addition to being inducted into the BC Football Hall of Fame, Geroy also joined the BC Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame this year. Geroy was also inducted into the Cambria County Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.

The BC Lions retired Geroy’s No. 81 in 2014.

Pete Thodos

Vancouver-born Pete Thodos played amateur football for Kitsilano High School, the Vancouver Meralomas and the CYO Red Raiders before turning pro and playing nine seasons in the Canadian Football League with the Calgary Stampeders, Montreal Alouettes, BC Lions, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

He is best known, however, for being part of the Stampeders’ first-ever Grey Cup winning team in 1948 where he scored the winning touchdown in a 12-7 triumph over the Ottawa Rough Riders.

While he would not win another Grey Cup, he did have a stellar career playing mostly with the Stampeders. In 1953, he was Calgary’s leader with 10 touchdowns, 54 points, 58 receptions and 795 points. Although listed as a halfback, he also excelled as a receiver, kick returner and even filled in on defence and as a punter and place kicker at times.

Prior to joining the CFL, Pete played junior football with the Vancouver Meralomas.

Pete passed away on December 25, 2011 at the age of 84. At the time, he was one of the last living members of the Stampeders’ 1948 Grey Cup team.

Dan Doyle

Dan Doyle was a lifelong educator, coach and community builder in Coquitlam. He was a founding member of the Coquitlam Secondary Schools Athletic Association and co-author of the constitution establishing BC School Sports, the governing body of high school competitive sports in the province today.

Dan built high school football from the ground up in Coquitlam starting in 1954 at Como Lake Secondary, the predecessor to Centennial Secondary School. He would be instrumental in helping Centennial Secondary win the inaugural provincial high school football championship in 1966 as part of his 33-year active coaching career. Dan’s legacy in football so entrenched that the football junior varsity championship trophy in Coquitlam is awarded in his name.

Dan was an inaugural inductee into the Coquitlam Sports Hall of Fame in 2010, and was honoured with a pioneer award at the 2009 Orange Helmet Awards. Dan passed away in 2015.

Ralph "Hunk" Henderson

Ralph “Hunk” Henderson was a dual sports star in football and basketball when he entered the University of British Columbia in 1934.

In the late 1930’s, he was captain of UBC’s football team under the tutelage of coaches Maury Van Fleet and Gordon “Doc” Burke. He’s noted for being one of the few UBC athletes to play both football and basketball in the same season, as well as being the first-ever UBC player to play professionally when he joined the Edmonton Eskimos in 1939. The following year, he served in World War II spending five years with the Royal Canadian Air Force and three years as a POW.

In the 1950s, Ralph was one of the individuals responsible for launching the BC Lions Football Club. He would serve as its president in 1960 and 1961.

Ralph was also a Director for the Vancouver Meralomas. He can be found in both the UBC Sports Hall of Fame and the BC Sports Hall of Fame as members of various basketball teams including the UBC Thunderbirds and the Vancouver Clover Leafs.

Ralph passed away on July 23, 2003.

Denis Kelly

One of the most decorated and respected coaches in BC High School Football, Denis Kelly is perhaps best known for starting the football program at W.J. Mouat Secondary School in 1987.

Denis, who spent his playing days at Simon Fraser University, brought a school with a historically small population base and guided them to success at the highest level of competition turning the program into a powerhouse. In total, Denis won six provincial championships with the school including three at the varsity level, two at the junior varsity level and one at the Grade 8 level.

Denis departed from W.J. Mouat in 2015 and spent one season working as a co-offensive coordinator with the SFU Clan and another season as the offensive coordinator at St. Thomas More. As of 2017, he is the head coach at Notre Dame Regional Secondary.

Prior to beginning the program at W.J. Mouat Secondary, Denis had brief coaching stints at Vancouver College and Notre Dame Regional Secondary.

Denis has also been known to lend his time and expertise to helping Team BC provincial team programs and has also served as a guest coach at BC Lions training camp. He was honoured at the Scholastic Coach of the Year at the 2008 Orange Helmet Awards.

Archie Skemp

Archie Skemp is best known for being the head coach of the dominant Richmond Raiders junior football team from 1984 to 1989 – a team he guided to six consecutive BC championship appearances, three BC championship titles and a Western Canadian Championship title.

In particular, his Raiders from 1984 to 1986 is still considered being among the most dominating teams in BCFC history compiling a combined regular season record of 24 wins and one loss while outscoring the opposition by a combined 989-180. In those three seasons, the Raiders captured three straight BCFC Championship titles and defeated the CJFL powerhouse Regina Rams in the 1984 Western Canadian Championship game.

He also spent time as an assistant coach at Richmond High School alongside head coach Jeff Lochbaum, and was the school's head coach in 1976 when they captured their first-ever B.C. provincial title with a 3-0 victory over Notre Dame. Archie passed away in 2007 leaving behind a great legacy of coaching from pee wee to high school to junior football.

Kent Gilchrist

Kent Gilchrist, who shares a nickname with former AFL, CFL and NFL running back Carlton Chester “Cookie” Gilchrist, began his journalism career after graduating high school at the Brandon Sun in Manitoba.

Gilchrist would have stints at the Regina Leader-Post and at the Winnipeg Free Press before making the move out to the West Coast in the 1970s. He would first join the Vancouver Sun before making his way to The Province. Kent spent 11 years as the beat reporter covering the BC Lions, and six as sports editor in the 1980s covering everything from the Olympic Games, Stanley Cup finals, the Kentucky Derby, The Masters, U.S. Open, PGA Championship and, of course, multiple Grey Cups.

Kent spent 37 years with The Province and was enshrined into the CFL’s Football Reporters of Canada Hall of Fame in 2005. He was also awarded the Northwest Golf Media Association Distinguished Service Award in 2015.

Ken "Kato" Kasuya

A graduate of Templeton Secondary School in East Vancouver, Kato originally joined the BC Lions as a ball boy at the age of 13. He would be hired by the organization as an assistant equipment manager in 1984 before being promoted to equipment manager during the championship season of 1994, a role he remains in as of 2017.

Kato has also lent his experience and time in supporting amateur football activities, assisting young players and their clubs across the province with their equipment needs as well as hosting amateur players at the BC Lions Training Facility during the off-season for camps and other functions.

Alongside Bill Reichelt, Kato has played a major role in ensuring BC Lions players and coaches have enjoyed such a tight bond over the years by making the locker room atmosphere one of the best in the CFL.

Bill Reichelt

Bill Reichelt has been a member of the BC Lions Family since 1977 when he left Edmonton where he had previously worked for the Edmonton Eskimos and the WHA’s Alberta Oilers.

Bill’s role with the Lions sees him coordinating the medical staff, and being responsible for the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of players’ injuries. He has been with the team for five of their six Grey Cup victories in team history and has helped keep many legendary Lions players in tip-top shape on the field over the years including the likes of Canadian Football Hall-of-Famers Lui Passaglia, Damon Allen, Dave Dickenson, and Geroy Simon.

Bill has also served as a trainer for the Canadian Davis Cup tennis team and worked with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks.

1986-91 Vancouver Dolphins Men's Touch Football

The Vancouver Dolphins were formed in 1978 and were one of the most dominant touch football teams in the history of the province and country.

Touch Football officially started in Canada in 1957, while the National Touch Football Championship was established in 1970. Touch Football BC was formed, and joined Touch Football Canada, in 1978.

The Dolphins won the BC Provincial Championships first in 1979, and then every year from 1981 to 2004 inclusive. Their most dominant stretch took place from 1986 to 1991 when they won six consecutive national titles. From 1986 to 1992, the Dolphins had an undefeated streak of 223 games – a staggering number when you consider there were 2,500 Touch Football teams registered in Canada during the height of the Dolphins’ success.

The Dolphins also finished as a finalist in the National Championship from 1992 to 1994, and captured another national title in 1997.

Vancouver Dolphins Team Records 1978-1995

Vancouver Dolphins Individual Records 1978-1995

Vancouver Dolphins Career Statistics 1978-1995