1970
The first artificial turf in Canada was installed at Empire Stadium. Jim Young became the first Lion to win the Schenley Outstanding Canadian Award, but the team finished 6-10 and in fourth place.

1971
A major off-season restructuring saw Parker elevated to the General Manager post, and former Saskatchewan coach Eagle Keys named the eighth Head Coach in club history. Don Moorhead was recruited at quarterback, and a total of fifty-three different players put on a Lions uniform in a year of change, including now movie/TV personality Carl Weathers. The final 6-9-1 record left the club still in fourth place.

1972
Schenley introduced their new Outstanding Rookie Award. New Lions' faces included Rocky Long, Johnny Musso, Ray Nettles and Al Wilson, but a 5-11 record dropped them to fifth. Jim Young wins his second Schenley as Outstanding Canadian.

1973
Linebacker Ray Nettles wins the Schenley Outstanding Defensive Player award, and the Lions 5-9-2 record is good enough to take third place, followed by a semi-final loss to Saskatchewan.

1974
Schenley added their fifth major award, the Outstanding Offensive Lineman and the Lions again returned to playoff action with an 8-8 record good enough for third place, and a return engagement in Saskatchewan where they lost the semi-final again. Second-year man Lou Harris replaces the injured Musso to lead the team in both rushing and receiving and wins All-Star honours. Annis Stukus is the first Lion elected to the Football Hall of Fame as a builder.

1975
With Eric Guthrie and Peter Liske relieving Moorhead at quarterback, the Lions lost five of their first six games before a major change was made in August. GM Parker and Coach Keys are both replaced, with Bob Ackles moving up from his assistant General Manager post and Cal Murphy elevated to Head Coach. The club played .500 football the rest of the way but the 6-10 record left them in fifth. Byron Bailey becomes the first BC player elected to the Football Hall of Fame.

1976
Prize rookie recruit John Sciarra became the second Lion to win the Schenley Rookie award, Bill Baker won the Schenley Defensive Player award and Al Wilson was runner-up for Schenley Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman, but a 5-9-2 record is only good enough for fourth place. Harry Spring is the second Lion elected to the Hall of Fame as a builder. Rookies Glen Jackson and Lui Passaglia both impressed the fans.

1977
A complete off-season change in the coaching staff brought Edmonton assistant Vic Rapp in as the 10th Head Coach. A revamped lineup included rookies Leon Bright, John Blain, Ken Hinton, and Jerry Tagge, and several newly acquired veterans. The Lions last-minute heroics earned them the label ‘the Cardiac Kids'. Their 10-6 record vaulted them to second place (the first time higher than third since ‘64), and a playoff upset over Winnipeg before losing the final in Edmonton. Bright captured the Schenley Rookie award and Wilson wins the Schenley Outstanding Offensive Lineman award, the first Lion to do so.

1978
After playing .500 football all year (7-7-2) but finishing fourth, the Lions were a better team but were facing tougher competition in the increasingly powerful West. Rookies John Henry White and Larry Key provided a much improved rushing game, but depth was still the missing ingredient.

1979
Tagge missed the second half of the season with an injury that would also end his playing career. Led by Joe Paopao, the Lions lost five, but finished third with a 9-6-1 record, before bowing out to Calgary in the semi-final. Jim Young retired at the end of the season, and Norm Fieldgate became the second Lions player to be inducted into the Football Hall of Fame. Rising costs and an aging Empire Stadium cast a shadow over future prospects. To head off a crisis, the directors, led by past-President Jack Farley, developed a plan to sell debentures and seek a strong partnership with a major corporate sponsor to keep operations viable while waiting for a new stadium.