You know you've been following the Leos a long time when....

[David]

1. You know who the 'original' Looooooo! was in this town. And no it wasn't even Lui Passaglia. It was RB Lou Harris from USC (1973-76).

2. You saw them play on a field made of real grass (or mud depending on the season).

3. Recall our coach trying to attack the opposition's coach. And no, it wasn't Adam Rita shoving Jeff Reinboldt at midfield. It was Vic Rapp who had to be restrained from going after the Esks' Hugh Campbell post-game.

4. The name "Beefeaters" to you isn't just a brand of gin.

5. You recall the smell of cigars and cigarettes....in the stands!

6. A "retractable roof" to you was a '75 Chevy Caprice...

7. You remember when the Lions were kings in this town and Joe Kapp could get the best table in any restaurant.

8. You own a rain poncho....with a Lions' logo on it.

9. You don't think "Jerry And The Cardiacs" is just some headliner at the Town Pump.

10. 'Wait 'til next year' (pronounced 'Waydlenexyear!') was a popular phrase used when talking about the Lions....in August!


DH

[B.C.FAN]

Good ones, David. I got most of them. I don't remember the Lou Harris chant. I do remember "Give the ball to LE-ROY!" from the 1960s. I also remember playing with Lui Passaglia long before the Lou Harris days, when Lui was known as Luigi.

I also never had a Lions' rain poncho. I think they were usually given out in the end zone seats. My seats at Empire were under cover.

[TheLionKing]

1) Receivers were known as flankers, split ends, tight ends

2) Willie Fleming had a clothing store on Granville Street known as "Lions Den"

3) Alcohol as a no no at football games

4) Lions had Derek Innes a highly touted linebacker from SFU as a territorial protection. Unfortunately he suffered a knee injury in a scrimmage and never got to play a down for the Lions

5) Bob Swift was a fullback

6) Lions had an official marching band

7) Ticket in 1968 was $5.00

8) Pre season games consisted of 4 games; 2 away and 2 at home.

9) They play the oppositions' fight song after player introductions.

[lion24]

If you have over 4000 posts here!! By my count I am still considered a "snot nosed" beginner..........my recollections only begin in the early 80's

[WestCoastJoe]

* You remember Bud Grant's Bombers beating us time after time. Farrell Funston catching a last minute TD pass for the win as if it was no big deal. The Lions' fans in the stands not surprised, and actually surprised to be ahead until the Funston TD pass from Kenny Ploen.

* As a kid the deal was to ask for the players' chinstraps. Asking Ernie Pitts', star receiver of the Bombers, for his after the game. Nah, he said, he still needed it. LOL My dad at home, watching on TV, seeing me and my pal walking on the field after the game.

* Recalling the hype when we signed Randy Duncan as our QB, who was only the first pick in the NFL draft. He wasn't any good unfortunately.

* Joe Kapp owned Vancouver.

* Willie Fleming owned the hearts of the fans.

* Nub Beamer was the coolest fullback anywhere. In the neighbourhood, seeing Beamer and his Lions pals going into the Admiral Hotel for drinks.

* Bill Munsie played both ways in the Grey Cup win of 1964.

* We actually had Grey Cup Parades. Got to wear the football uniform as a kid on the Kinsmen's float.

* Recall Lui Passaglia tearing it up as a QB at Notre Dame High School, and then at SFU, and then ... so happy when the Lions signed him.

* Dave Skrien asked his greatest fear: That he didn't really win the Grey Cup. Many fans had that fear also. Could it be true, we won?

[ve7da]

The most embarassing game , calgary 43 the lions very little , the qb was poul brothers, also I think nob beamer was part owner of a night club in burnaby somewhere
ken

[KnowItAll]

when you can no longer remember the names of the first leos you cheered for

[Lions4ever]

When Jake Scott was a receiver for the Lions, not a safety for the Miami Dolphins.

[TheLionKing]

When Bill Lasseter owned Lasseters at the corner of Broadway and Commercial

[TheLionKing]

* Recall Lui Passaglia tearing it up as a QB at Notre Dame High School, and then at SFU, and then ... so happy when the Lions signed him.

The fullback on that powerhouse Notre Dame team was a guy named Paul Giroday. He went on to play linebacker for the Lions.

[B.C.FAN]

* Recall Lui Passaglia tearing it up as a QB at Notre Dame High School, and then at SFU, and then ... so happy when the Lions signed him.

The fullback on that powerhouse Notre Dame team was a guy named Paul Giroday. He went on to play linebacker for the Lions.

Paul Giroday played at Vancouver College, B.C. co-champions in 1967. Passaglia played Grade 8 football there that year before transferring to Notre Dame. Glen Jackson played with Passaglia at Notre Dame. They all ended up with the Lions.

[Toppy Vann]

{Great thread - David.. and I got them all but thought that Looo was not Lou Harris but our famous kicker.}

> the Canadian Rifle is Vancouver Meraloma Eric Guthrie.

[SammyGreene]

Fun read David and others. I don't date back to the 60s but I will add.....

You know you've been following the Leos a long time when .... you bought your first Lions replica jersey (Jerry Tagge) in the Woodwards sporting goods department.

[David]

I also remember playing with Lui Passaglia long before the Lou Harris days, when Lui was known as Luigi.

Wow. Cool!

3) Alcohol as a no no at football games

Don't you mean "no alcohol was a no no?" I seem to recall a lot of empty whiskey bottles that littered the stands and bathroom stalls of old Empire.

9) They play the oppositions' fight song after player introductions.

Not sure if it was just the "nostalgia" of the return to Empire, but I recall hearing other teams' fight songs when they took the field this past year.

* As a kid the deal was to ask for the players' chinstraps. Asking Ernie Pitts', star receiver of the Bombers, for his after the game. Nah, he said, he still needed it. LOL My dad at home, watching on TV, seeing me and my pal walking on the field after the game.

Tragic story about Ernie Pitts. The long time star receiver was traded to the Leos as a DB in 1970. Bobby Ackles in his book "The Water Boy" recalls him being a leader and a calming influence on the younger black players on club who, he says, were caught up in the "Black Power" movement of the day, which brought a lot of "attitude" to the locker room (I assume he was referring to players like A.D. Whitfield, Rhome Nixon, E. Greenard Poles, and Charlie Brown).

Anyway, the Lions got off to a pretty decent start that year (5-3 at one point), but after a couple of disappointing losses to go 5-5, were given a couple of days off. Pitts flew to Denver for his daughter's birthday party. He got into an argument with his estranged wife and was shot in the neck and died. The team never recovered, going 1-5 the rest of the way.

.. and I got them all but thought that Looo was not Lou Harris but our famous kicker.}

Make no mistake, the "Loooos!" for Harris weren't quite the same as the "Loooos!" for Passaglia, but Lou Harris was a very good back - he fumbled quite a lot, but he and Monroe Eley made a hell of a running back tandem, with each player rushing for over 1,000 yards in a 16 game season in 1974.

DH

[Toppy Vann]

> When FB By Bailey (Terry Bailey's uncle) who was historically 88 had to be 08 with the new numbering regime so that backs and QBs were no longer 80s and 90s.

> When FB Al Pollard had his own sports radio gig at CKLG.

> When Jim Young used to frequent Sneaky Pete's at Hornby and Dunsmuir.

> When you remember the Bill Muncey for Mayor headline after the 64 GC win and his two TDs.

> Dick Fouts kicked a fumbled ball in the 64 GC for a 65 yard TD romp for Bill Muncey (guys played both ways at times in those days).

> Joe Kapp was big for peanut butter ads.

> OL NI from Vancouver Rudy Reschke bit a waitress on the rear - today you'd get jail time (Later Reschke was featured at UBC when the Engineers vowed to remove Maoists from Campus.

> Normie Kwong the China Clipper had a car wash on Hastings Street.

> Vancouver College used to have a lot of CFL players - Pete Ohler, Rocky Cameron, Paul Seale (?) and lots I don't recall. Referees - Maury Mulhern were too associated with VC.



The Lions took the 0 in the 08 and sort of made it like 88 with two small indents in the 0. That is what I recall happened but Wiki just has his number at 38 when he shifted to the defence.