Kicking things off it’s impressive to know that week 18 honor role players include both Jackson Findlay (DB), Keon Hatcher Sr. (WR) and James Butler (RB)  who were named to the CFL in their respective positions. 

Findlay (90.8 PFF Grade)- making only his second career start at safety, Findlay emerged as the week’s second-highest graded defensive player. 

Along with recording his second interception in as many games to end a Stampeder scoring threat with no time left in the third quarter, the Vancouver College product had three defensive tackles, bringing his season total to 15.

Hatcher Sr. (79.1 PFF Grade)- it was another clutch performance for the CFL’s leading receiver, hauling in seven receptions for 112 yards and a pair of touchdowns. 

Hatcher has now recorded a CFL-best six 100-plus yard games this season and a total of 1,516 receiving yards through 16 games.

Butler (72.5 PFF Grade)- he may be a top-three CFL rusher, but it was through the air where Butler carved up the Calgary defence on Saturday. 

The versatile back recorded 97 of his 139 scrimmage yards on six receptions, including a 44-yard catch and run that preceded Zander Horvath’s game-sealing major in the final moments.

Lions president Duane Vienneau mentioned “The excitement for our push to a home playoff game has only increased day-by-day. We’re calling on the great fans of British Columbia to pack the dome, as our quest for a home playoff game remains very much in play,”

PlayNow Sports, presents the Lions “Our Backyard Party” which is  being moved INSIDE with Western-themed festivities including a mechanical bull and lasso performers while the Halftime features Whiskey Blind.

Fans are also encouraged to bring toy or cash donations in support of London Drugs and Vancouver Firefighters.

With upper bowl seating open, fans can expect an action-packed game filled with country-themed activations all night long. Starting with the Backyard Party, presented by PlayNow Sports, festivities begin at 5:00 pm on Terry Fox Plaza.

Inside, BC Place shifts into a country bar, with bull riding, line dancing and performances from local country band Whiskey Blind. After the game, fans can show their game ticket at The Yale Saloon before midnight for free entry.

London Drugs will also be hosting a toy drive to get a head start on the holiday season. Fans can drop off unwrapped and brand-new toys or cash donations inside Gate H to be entered in a draw.

Prizes include 4 tickets to a 2026 regular season game in Vancouver, a London Drugs $250 gift card and a gift basket including firefighter calendars from Vancouver Fire Charities.

The post Lions Host Edmonton Elks first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

Not everyone is going to be happy with the recent decisions made by the league but having an inside scoop with our sources they were made in hopes of growing the league making it better for players and fans alike.

The game started with the Lions winning the toss electing to receive which was delayed only to a moment of silence. 

Tonight’s game for the Lions annual Truth and Reconciliation  game with an on-field pre-game ceremony which they do each year that shows extreme professionalism for the entire organization.

While Rourke was vocal this past week given his comments regarding the rule changes implemented by the league it never deterred him from surpassing Gerry Dattilio as the second highest all-time Canadian QB for 9,953 yards completed.

Not only was it an impressive game for Rourke it was back to back 1,000 season yards that shows his overall career yards sitting at 3,731 while Micah Awe had 100 tackles.

Owner Larry Thompson (65) who purchased the franchise in August of last year of Edmonton’s football franchise “will carry forward” following his death. 

Ironically he became the first private owner in the history of the franchise that first took the field in 1949.

After the first quarter the Lions announced that while they are forced to move out of BC Place in 2026 they have secured the ability to play in Kelowna, home of the Apple Bowl which is home for Junior Football. 

BC made no excuses about bringing back National long snapper/linebacker Cam Foran (6’2, 229 lbs) who was originally signed by the Lions ahead of 2025 training camp prior to getting a spot on the practice roster until July 17.

He also attended the CFL Invitational Combine for Draft-eligible prospects at Acadia from 2021-24 managing to record 7.5 total tackles becoming the full-time long snapper on field goals and punts in 2023.

Argo’s QB Nick Arbuckle returns following a calf injury which took him out of the line-up for one game noting that he is only one of a pair of QB’s surpassing the 4,000 passing yards along with 25 TD’s when BC dropped the game by a 52-34 margin when he threw for three TD’s along with 443 yards. .

Lions’ receivers Keon Hatcher Sr. and Justin McInnis have both combined for an impressive 2,293 yards while Argo’s DB”s Defensive backs Tarvarus McFadden and Benjie Franklin managed half of the Argos’ 16 interceptions.

Three Lions made the Honour Roll for week 17 that saw Nathan Rourke named player of the week while both Hatcher Sr. and Horvath earned top positional recognition for week 16.

The Lions managed their strong play in the fourth quarter that saw a pass interference call against TO that put them on the one allowing them to march in for the TD as well as the point after putting them up 27-1 with 121:20 left in the game.

The first three quarters had everyone on the edge of their seats but it wasn’t until the last 2:21 that saw the Lions force a turnover  that some were thinking it was a fumble only to be confirmed by the officials it wasn’t that saw them hold on to a 27-22 lead and the win.

The Lions next home hosting the “Gravy Bowl” as they host Calgary with a 4 pm kick-off – mark the date on your calendar!!! 

The post LIONS START 2026 REGULAR SEASON IN KELOWNA first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

Depending on who you ask, everyone has their own opinion if they were made for the  betterment of the game or if the game is going in the wrong direction.

Both of those questions are yet to be understood and of course we’ll know fully next season and will be in place starting in the 2026 pre-season allowing the players to adapted to what they will be facing from the opening kick-off.

Locally, Lions QB Nathan Rourke who never once minced his words when asked about the CFL’s latest slate of rule changes set to begin in 2026 went on to mention

“It’s garbage. As many people did. Fans and people who play in this league grew up watching the CFL and loving the game and I grew up in Ontario, played Canadian football rules all my life, was aware of the league down there, but was a fan of the CFL because of its differences.”

He continued “I went down to the States proud of the game, being able to explain the differences. What the waggle, the yard, the extra person, these are the things that are unique about the game that make it different.”

While Rourke isn’t a fan of the changes 12-year veteran and two time league outstanding player Bo Levi Mitchell backed the moves as a way to push the game forward.

Mitchell told the media “This is not about Americanizing the game, this is about modernizing the game and what can we do to put a better product on the field, a product that people want to watch, at a faster pace? This is not taking away the unique things (about the CFL).”

There is also the idea that pushing or moving the goalposts to the back of the end zone and altering the rouge will give kickers fewer opportunities to score.

The changes were unanimously approved by the CFL’s Board of Governors, and will roll out in a two-year plan.

Beginning in 2026 the league will introduce a modified rouge disallowing teams from scoring a single off a missed field goal and a 35-second automatic reset on the play clock also noting that the team benches will be on opposite sides of all CFL fields.

Also in 2027, the goalposts will be moved to the back of the end zone, which will be shortened from 20 to 15 yards also noting that the length of the field will also be shortened from 110 yards to 100 yards but will keep its 65-yard width.

“This isn’t about changing the CFL game and taking away from it,” Mitchell added. “This is about trying to create an entertainment factor that can add a dollar, that can make sure that seven out of nine teams aren’t losing money.”

The two-part plan was unanimously approved by the CFL’s Governors, and will be phased in over the next two years or seasons.

Changes taking effect beginning in the 2026 season are listed below:

• A modified rouge, which will no longer award a single point for certain missed kicks through the endzones.
• Requiring all teams to have benches on opposite sides of the field.
• A new 35-second play clock that starts automatically after a play is whistled dead.

Then, in 2027, the following changes to the field of play will be made:

• Moving the goalposts to the back of the end zones to encourage more touchdowns.
• Shortening the end zones from 20 to 15 yards.
• Shortening the length of the field from 110 yards to 100 yards.

He (Rourke) went on to mention “The worst part is the fact that the people who play football, and who have the football knowledge, were not consulted about this. The players weren’t consulted, the coaches, management, nobody was consulted. This was done on their own accord.”

He continued “This was done independent of asking anyone who actually knows football what they want to do, what they think would be better. We have a commissioner who hasn’t been here for a year who’s already trying to make, trying to change the game. And I don’t believe he loves football as much as I do, as much as many fans do.”

In conversation with some football fans earlier today they are willing to give it a try and see if it changes the game and if so how drastically.

Just maybe it’ll be better and more entertaining for the fans and lastly just maybe we’ll have fewer whistles – thankfully!!!!!

The post CFL Changes Created Various Comments first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

The question that everyone had was how deep would the changes filter down throughout the club.

At the final press conference the indication was that they weren’t happy with the outcome that the season held for them.

We now know just how deep the changes will be felt within the organization and below is the most recent press release from the club and we thank the BC Lions for the presser.

Enjoy the read:

BC Lions general manager Ryan Rigmaiden and head coach Buck Pierce announced eight additional members of the club’s coaching staff for the upcoming 2025 season:

Mike Benevides- defensive coordinator

Cory McDiarmid- special teams coordinator

Kevin Bourgoin- wide receivers coach

Paul Charbonneau- offensive line coach

Ryan Phillips- secondary coach, pass game coordinator

Randy Melvin- defensive line coach

Glen Young- linebackers coach

Derek Oswalt– assistant coach

**Pierce will also hold the title of offensive coordinator while a running backs coach will be hired in the coming weeks.

Benevides- enters his 15^th season with the organization (2003-14, 2023-present) in the role he held for the squad from 2008-12, a run that featured 11 CFL All-Stars on defence plus a second consecutive Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award for Cam Wake (2008).

Bene’ served as the Lions’ 26^th head coach from 2012-14 and won 33 regular season games, good for sixth on the club’s all-time list.  A three-time Grey Cup champion (2001, 2006, 2011), Benevides also served as defensive coordinator in Ottawa (2021-22) and Edmonton (2016-18).

The Toronto native also had the role of special teams coordinator with the Lions (2003-07, 2023-24) and began his CFL career with the Calgary Stampeders (2000-02) serving as a defensive assistant, linebackers coach and special teams coordinator.

McDiarmid- returns to the Lions after beginning his CFL coaching career in the den from 2000-02. A Grey Cup champion in his first season, the Nanaimo native worked with the Lions running backs and special teams units.

He is coming off a stint as special teams coordinator with the Ottawa RedBlacks (2022-24) and held the same role in Toronto (2019-20), Edmonton (2016-18) and Winnipeg (2006-08).

McDiarmid also served as assistant head coach/defensive coordinator with the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees and won a Vanier Cup on the UBC Thunderbirds staff in 1997.

Bourgoin– spent the last eight seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers; first as running backs coach (2016-19) and then as receivers coach (2021-24). 

During his stint coaching the running backs, Andrew Harris won the CFL’s rushing title three straight years and captured CFL Most Outstanding Canadian in 2018.

A two-time Grey Cup champion (2019,2021), Bourgoin’s time as receivers coach saw Dalton Schoen win CFL Most Outstanding Rookie while Kenny Lawler and Nic Demski also recorded 1,000 plus-yard seasons.

Bourgoin began his coaching career at Colby College in 1997 and had a stint at the University of Maine from 2007-16, serving as offensive coordinator/ quarterbacks coach and then assistant head coach.

Charbonneau– served as offensive line coach with the Ottawa RedBlacks for the past three seasons while holding the same position with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2014-15) and Montreal Alouettes (2016-17). 

After his time in Montreal, Charbonneau was the offensive line coach at Lindenwood University-Belleville (NAIA) before coaching running backs at Washington University in St. Louis (NCAA) and then becoming co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Roosevelt University (NAI).

Charbonneau began his coaching career at the University of North Dakota (2006-09), working with the school’s offensive line and tight ends. From there, he moved on to the role of offensive line coach at Valley City State University and then assistant head coach at Avila University before his return north of the border.

Phillips- RP is back for a sixth season on the coaching staff and 17^th overall with the organization. 

During his stint as defensive coordinator (2022-24), Mathieu Betts won the CFL Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award in a 2023 season where the defence recorded two shutout victories, something that hadn’t happened since the 1970 Calgary Stampeders accomplished the feat.

The Seattle native and Eastern Washington alum joined the Lions as a player in 2005 and enjoyed a stellar 12-year run in orange and black. 

A two-time Grey Cup champion and four-time CFL All-Star, Phillips’ 47 interceptions are second on the all-time list behind Larry Crawford.

Melvin-returns for a third go-around as Lions defensive line coach after serving in the role for the 2011 Grey Cup championship season and again in 2018. Melvin’s first stint with the Lions saw Aaron Hunt, Khalif Mitchell and Keron Williams earn CFL All-Star selections.

Melvin most recently was the defensive line coach with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2019-23) and appeared in the Grey Cup in each of his first two seasons in Steeltown.

A veteran of nearly 40 years in the coaching fraternity, Melvin was part of Bill Belichick’s Super Bowl-winning staff in New England in 2001 as defensive line coach while also holding the same position with the Cleveland Browns (2005-08) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2012-13.

The Aurora, Illinois native has also held several coaching positions in US College including Eastern Illinois (1988-94), Wyoming (1995-96), Purdue (1997-99), Temple (2000) and Rutgers (2010).

Young- the native of Scarborough, Ontario joins the Lions after a stint as defensive line coach with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last season. 

Young also served as defensive coordinator of the Toronto Argonauts in 2021 following a four-year run as defensive line coach in Winnipeg.

Young was selected by Hamilton in round three (22nd overall) of the 1992 CFL Draft and spent five seasons in the NFL, highlighted by a stint in San Diego from 1994-96 where he served as special teams captain and helped the Chargers reach Super Bowl XXIX against San Francisco.

The linebacker returned north to suit up with Toronto (1998-00), Montreal (2001) and Edmonton (2002-05). Before returning to the CFL as a coach, Young was a graduate assistant at Michigan State and the defensive coordinator at Brockport University.

Oswalt- returns for a fourth season with the Lions after holding the title of video coordinator and special teams assistant in 2024 while also assisting team brass in preparation for the Global Draft.

Oz was previously on staff with the Edmonton Elks in a variety of roles from 2018-21 and began his CFL coaching career in Ottawa from 2014-17.

He also had stints down south at Louisville (2004-07) and Fairmont State (2013).

The post Changes To The BC Lions Organization first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

Long before Glen Suitor became a fixture on television screens as a media personality on the CFL on TSN, he was a standout defensive back terrorizing opposition offenses on the gridiron throughout his entire 11-year CFL career all spent with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. 

Born in New Westminster, BC but growing up in North Vancouver, Glen attended Carson Graham Secondary where he played quarterback and defensive back and was named team MVP in 1980 in addition to being the school’s male athlete of the year. 

Suitor would stay close to home to continue pursuing his football dreams as he made his way to Burnaby Mountain to suit up for Simon Fraser University. 

He would be named an NAIA Conference All-Star in 1982, and an Evergreen Conference All-Star in 1983. 

Those honours were enough to attract the attention of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders who would make him a second-round draft (10th overall) in the 1984 CFL Draft. Suitor would make the Roughriders’ faith in him pay off. 

He spent his entire 11-season CFL career from 1984 to 1994 in Saskatchewan and was a three-time CFL All-Star (1991-93) and a five-time CFL West All-Star (1989-93). 

He also played an instrumental part in the Roughriders’ 1989 Grey Cup championship team recording an interception in the Grey Cup game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats while pinning the ball on the go-ahead field goal which stood up as the game-winning points. 

Suitor’s 51 career interceptions is the most in Saskatchewan Roughriders history. 

In addition, Suitor is 9th in league history for all time interceptions and fumble recoveries for all teams. After his final season, he joined the TSN broadcast booth as a guest analyst for the 1994 Grey Cup game and, since then, he has been a fixture on the CFL on TSN as well as on other media outlets. 

BUILDER 

Dave Hawkshaw Dave Hawkshaw is the only Canadian to be a full time official in the NFL. Dave also had an illustrious career in the CFL. 

Growing up, he was a multi-sport athlete as a high-level alpine skier while also playing soccer, baseball, and football. His father,

Bruce, was an on-field official in the CFL in the 1990s and the younger Dave would choose to follow in his father’s footsteps when he first began referring GSL football games alongside his dad and brother. 

Hawkshaw’s early officiating career would see him on the field for numerous big games in BC high school football, refereeing many finals, whether it be AA or AAA, the Canadian Junior Football League , where he refereed finals in BC, or Canadian Championships. 

He also officiated three years in university football, where he was chosen as the traveling official for the BCFOA through the early 2000s. 

He would then be recruited to work in the big leagues. In 2005 at the Grey cup Dave was invited by George Black, the officiating Director to officiate in the CFL the following year. 

He was told in the locker room just before going out on the field as a ball boy alongside his brother Drew. 

Officiating his first CFL game at the old Taylor Field in Regina in 2006 was the start of a 189- game CFL career that included three Grey Cups, one as an alternate and two on the field. 

Thanks to an officiating partnership between the CFL and the NFL in 2016, Hawkshaw had the opportunity to train in the U.S. with NFL officials for three seasons. 

As of 2019, Hawkshaw was a full-time on-field NFL official. At the conclusion of the 2023 season Hawkshaw has officiated 113 NFL games and four playoff games, each year he was eligible to do so. 

oug Staveley If you mentioned Doug Staveley’s name to anybody in Richmond, BC, odds are it won’t take too long before somebody recognizes it.

Staveley has had an incredible reach in the community of Richmond, particularly in the education field, as he has coached for over 40 years including at four secondary schools – Steveston High, Cambie Secondary, Hugh Boyd, and Steveston-London. 

As a student at Lord Byng Secondary School in Vancouver, he was a five-sport athlete playing football, rugby, basketball, baseball, and cricket. 

After high school, he focused on playing football and rugby at the University of British Columbia.

In Richmond, however, he would simply be “the coach.” He would first serve as the assistant coach of the senior boys football team at Steveston High School from 1973 to 1978 (during which time he also coached their senior boys and senior girls basketball teams). 

He also spent some time as the football league convenor in Vancouver & District during the 1970s. From 1985 to 1988, Staveley would be an active CFL official all the time while teaching. Staveley would re-emerge in the coaching scene in the mid-1990s when he went to Cambie Secondary to coach basketball. 

During that same time, he was also part of the BC Secondary Schools Football Association’s executive (1992 to 1995) as well as serving as president of the association in 1995.

He would return to the football sidelines as a coach in 2002 when he took on the role of assistant coach with Hugh Boyd Secondary’s boys teams until 2008. 

He also coached in Surrey from 2012 to 2016. Staveley was inducted into the Richmond Sports Wall of Fame in 2018. 

In 2020, he was honoured by the BC Lions with an Orange Helmet Pioneer Award.

Farhan Lalji Recognition

There are few individuals who have had as profound an impact on the growth of high school football in BC than Farhan Lalji.

It was through Lalji’s efforts on the sponsorship and negotiation side that led to the BC high school football provincial championships gaining its first title sponsorship known as the “Subway Bowl.” 

In the years that followed, the “Subway Bowl” became arguably the most recognized amateur annual sporting event in the province, with BC Place – home of the BC Lions – serving as its primary home. 

Beyond just negotiating the naming rights for the high school provincial championships, Lalji also put it on the map by leveraging his media networks to implement nationally- televised broadcasts of the Subway Bowl from 2002-2012 on Sportsnet. 

He also helped arrange for weekly broadcasts of high school football contests on Rogers TV before the games later gained an online presence. 

Lalji also provided a platform of appreciation for the student athletes by pioneering the provincial all-star awards dinner beginning in 2001, the annual NCAA Signing Day press conference, as well as annual all-star games, including the BC High School Football Association all-star game in 2018. 

At the same time Lalji was building up all of high school football, he also restarted the long dormant football program at New Westminster Secondary for 2003. 

Over the course of the next 17 seasons, he grew the Hyacks program into one of the most consistent winners in the province. 

Lalji’s varsity team captured the 2017 championship, while the junior varsity team won the title in 2015. Around 50 players in the programs over the two decades since its rebirth received college scholarships. 

Lalji also served as president of BC High School Football from 2010 to 2012, with one of his major policies being the enactment of the association’s safety policy around concussion prevention. 

Outside of amateur football circles, most people also recognize Lalji as being a fixture on the television screens of sports fans since 1997 when he first joined TSN as a Vancouverbased reporter. 

Though he has covered a range of sports from Super Bowls to Stanley Cups, it is his work with football and, particularly, the Canadian Football League where fans know him the best. 

Through his work in media, Lalji has covered the biggest games on the biggest scale including in the CFL, NFL, NCAA and, of course, multiple Grey Cup games. 

Aside from TSN, Lalji has contributed or worked for several media outlets including the CBC, CKWX Radio, Team (later TSN) 1040, and CTV. Between his work in amateur football and broadcasting, Lalji has compiled an impressive list of accolades and awards. 

He was a runner-up for the NFL Canada National Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2012, the 2009 Provincial Scholastic Coach of the Year at the BC Lions Orange Helmet Awards.

In addition he was the 2012 Citizen of the Year for New Westminster as well as a multiple time winner of the Best Sports TV Reporter in Vancouver at the Paul Carson Broadcast & Media Awards, and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in the Media wing in 2024.

The post Class of 2024 BC Football HOF – Part 2 first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

Since 1999, fans of the Canadian Football League – and the BC Lions – have had the benefit of listening to Giulio Caravatta breakdown plays and explaining the ins and outs of the game they were listening to. 

Caravatta began his broadcast career in 1999 as an analyst on the BC Lions’ pre- and post-game shows when he was approached by another BC Football Hall of Famer, JP McConnell, asking if he would be interested. A year later, he would become the BC Lions’ colour commentator. 

Although the Lions would see their radio rights jump to different networks over the years, Caravatta would be one of the consistent figures providing his expert analysis for the listening audience. 

He also worked with Rogers Sportsnet as well as an analyst providing insight into the CFL.

He has been a regular fixture at BC Lions activities as well, including being involved in podcasts and the Orange Helmet Awards. 

Prior to becoming a media personality, Caravatta was a quarterback and punter at Simon Fraser University and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the BC Lions in 1991. 

A native of Etobicoke, Ontario, Carvatta made one start for the Lions late in the 1996 season as quarterback.

It was not only his last start as quarterback, but it would take two decades later before any Canadian-born quarterback in the CFL (Brandon Bridge in 20015 with the Montreal Alouettes) would start in a game. Caravatta is a former Captain of the West Vancouver Fire and Rescue Unit and is now retired. 

ATHLETE (AMATEUR) 

Shawn Olson Shawn Olson is one of the most prolific quarterbacks to ever come out of BC. 

Following a standout high school career at Surrey’s Holy Cross Regional High School, he made the jump to his hometown Surrey Rams of the 1992 to 1995 where he guided the team to three BC Junior championships and one Western Canadian Championship. 

During those seasons with the Rams, he passed for 5,758 yards and had 62 touchdowns over three seasons playing quarterback. 

After his stint with the Rams, Olson would take his quarterbacking talents to the Point Grey campus of the University of British Columbia to ply his trade with the UBC Thunderbirds. In five seasons from 1996 to 2000 with the T-Birds, he guided UBC to a 30-17-1 record and was a three-time Canada West All-Star. 

He amassed 9,953 yards passing, 1276 rushing yards and 65 touchdowns (55 passing and 10 rushing) making him one of the most prolific offensive players of all time at UBC. 

His crowning achievement would be quarterbacking the Thunderbirds to a Vanier Cup victory in 1997 over the Ottawa Gee-Gees. After his playing career, Olson would turn to the coaching ranks spending time in both North America and Europe. 

He was an assistant coach for the Calgary Dinos in 2001 before moving to Austria to build the Vienna Vikings into the top team in Europe. 

With the Vikings, Olson led them to four straight Euro Bowls championships, the first two in franchise history as a player in 2004 and 2005, and then two more Euro Bowls championships as the Vikings’ head coach in 2006 and 2007. 

Olson would return to North America in 2007 to become the offensive coordinator at Simon Fraser University, helping lead the team to a Hardy Cup Championship in 2008. 

He would return to the Point Grey Campus in 2010 when he was named head coach of the UBC Thunderbirds, spending five seasons with his alma mater. 

He guided the team to their first playoff win in 12 years in 2011 (officially, the team finished 0-8 in the regular season due to an ineligible player) and was named the Canada West Coach of the Year.

Mike Emery 

There were few players who played as big a role in the on field success of the UBC Thunderbirds as Mike Emery did in the 1980s. 

Following a standout high school career at Steveston High School in Richmond which saw him named an Outstanding Linebacker (1978-1979), it didn’t take the Richmond, BC native to become the big man on campus when he made the move to UBC and earned a starting position as linebacker in his rookie year. 

Mike was a three-time co-defensive captain (1980-82) and was twice named a Canada West All-Star and All Canadian (1981-82). 

After helping guide the Thunderbirds to a Hardy Cup appearance in 1981, Emery and his teammates would finish the job in 1982 when they went undefeated in Canada and captured the school’s first-ever Vanier Cup Championship with Mike leading the team with 102 tackles during the season.

For his efforts, he was named the Bruce Coulter Vanier Cup Co-Defensive MVP. 

He was also a two-time (1981-82) All Canadian, and was awarded, for two consecutive years (1981 & 1982), the national President’s Trophy as the Defensive MVP in Canadian University Football. 

Emery went on to be drafted in the first round, 3rd overall, by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1983 and enjoy a five-year CFL career playing with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Calgary Stampeders, Montreal Concordes, and Toronto Argonauts. 

ATHLETE (PROFESSIONAL) 

Paul McCallum is, without question, a Legendary Kicker in Canadian Football. McCallum is widely recognized as one of the most prolific and accurate kickers of his generation. Before his celebrated football career, 

McCallum was an accomplished youth soccer player, representing British Columbia at the Canada Summer Games and even playing in a preseason tournament with the Vancouver 86ers.

His talent took him overseas, where he played professionally in Scotland at the age of 19. 

Upon returning to Canada, the Vancouver native shifted his focus to football, joining the Surrey Rams of the British Columbia Junior Football Conference (BCJFC). 

This decision marked the beginning of an impressive 24-year professional football career, during which he played for 26 seasons. 

McCallum’s professional football journey included stints with several teams, including the CFL’s Ottawa Rough Riders, Saskatchewan Roughriders, and BC Lions. 

He also made his mark in other leagues, playing for the XFL’s Las Vegas Outlaws, where he scored the first points in the league’s history, and the Scottish Claymores, with whom he won the World Bowl in 1996. 

The majority of McCallum’s CFL success came during his time with his hometown team, the BC Lions. 

He was part of the Lions’ 1994 Grey Cup championship team, but his most notable achievements came during his second stint with the Lions from 2006 to 2014.

During this period, he earned five CFL West All-Star nods, two CFL All-Star selections (2010, 2011), and won two more Grey Cup championships in 2006 and 2011. 

McCallum was awarded the Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian in 2006 and the CFL’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Award in 2011. 

McCallum’s legacy is cemented by several records and accolades. He holds the CFL record for the longest field goal (63 yards) set in 2001, ranks second for the most field goals and scoring in CFL history, and holds the record for the longest kickoff in BC Lions history (100 yards) set in 1994. 

He also shares the Grey Cup record for the most field goals in a game (6) achieved in 2006. 

In recognition of his remarkable career, Paul McCallum was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2022. 

Glen Suitor Long before Glen Suitor became a fixture on television screens as a media personality on the CFL on TSN, he was a standout defensive back terrorizing opposition offenses on the gridiron throughout his entire 11-year CF.

More To Follow!!!

The post Class of 2024 BC Football Hall of Fame Inductee first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.