Lionbackers.com

1981
The Lions returned to third place with 10-6 mark in 1981, again upsetting Winnipeg in the semi-final before losing a 22-16 heartbreaker in the Final. Paopao and sophomore Roy Dewalt, have record setting Ty Grey as their big deep-threat receiver, and rookie Larry Crawford led the league in interceptions. Labatt's Breweries of B.C. is welcomed as the new major sponsor in a marketing agreement that brings financial aid to the club.

West Division Team GP W L T PF PA Pts
Edmonton Eskimos 16 14 1 1 576 277 29
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 16 11 5 0 517 299 22
British Columbia Lions 16 10 6 0 438 377 20
Saskatchewan Roughriders 16 9 7 0 431 371 18
Calgary Stampeders 16 6 10 0 306 367 12

East Division Team GP W L T PF PA Pts
Hamilton Tiger-Cats 16 11 4 1 414 335 23
Ottawa Rough Riders 16 5 11 0 306 446 10
Montreal Alouettes 16 3 13 0 267 518 6
Toronto Argonauts 16 2 14 0 241 506 4

Semi-Finals - B.C. 15 - Winnipeg 11
Semi-Finals - Montreal 16 - Ottawa 20

Finals - Edmonton 22 - B.C. 16
Finals - Ottawa 17 - Hamilton 13

Grey Cup - Edmonton 26 - Ottawa 23

After upseting Winnipeg in the west division semi-final, the Lions almost upset the Eskimos as well at Commonwealth to win the WDF had it not been a very controversial officiating blunder involving Devon Ford. Ford returned a 90-yard kickoff for a TD but the officials incorrectly stated he stepped out of bounds when replays showed he clearly did not.

WDF - BC 16 at Edmonton 22

1981 West Division Final in its entirety.

The 17:00 minute mark shows one of the most officiating mistakes against the Lions in franchise history. Video shows that Devon Ford certainly did NOT step out of bounds when he took the kickoff for a touchdown.