1990
Under new Head Coach Lary Kuharich and General Manager Joe Kapp, the Lions generated a good deal of pre-season hype with the signings of quarterback Major Harris, who was fourth in Heisman Trophy balloting, former New York Jets star Mark Gastineau and Doug Flutie. However, the publicity did not translate into on-field victories and turmoil plagued the team. Two coaches left very early in the season amid controversy. The Lions tied their first game against Calgary in the dying seconds of the contest as Doug Flutie tossed a “Hail Mary” pass to Ray Alexander in the end zone. However, the team kept close in every game winning a tight one against Winnipeg at home on a last-second Passaglia field goal, and then losing one to Hamilton in the final seconds. The eastern road trip to Ottawa and Toronto, during which the Lions lost both games, spelled the beginning of the end for the coach and general manager. The following week the team dropped another one to Toronto 49-19 and one week later Jim Young was behind the bench as interim Head Coach. Bob O'Billovich took over as Vice President of Football Operations and Head Coach on Sept. 14 and promptly guided the team to a strong 34-4 victory over Hamilton. The team gained stability and although they missed the playoffs, “Obie's” charges went 4-3 over the last seven games of the season and their strong finish fuelled hopes for a much brighter 1991season. Highlights of the season included Lui Passaglia's new pro football scoring record as he booted his 2,238th point, finishing the year with 2,312 points. Lui also became the longest-playing Lion in history, appearing in a total of 236 games, overtaking Al Wilson's previous mark of 233 games.

1991
The 1991 season opened with promise. Although the team dropped a 39-34 decision to Calgary at home, the game was tight and the Lions were in it to the very end. It was a harbinger of things to come as Bob O'Billovich's young team – 12 rookies in the lineup – turned virtually every contest into a nail biter, playing in a CFL record six overtime contests, winning three and losing three. Behind the outstanding quarterbacking of Doug Flutie, the powerful running of rookie Jon Volpe, the receiving of rookie Matt Clark and veteran Ray Alexander, B.C. was capable of beating any team in the league. On August 1, the Lions faced the mighty Toronto Argonauts featuring Raghib “the Rocket” Ismail, at B.C. Place Stadium. A huge crowd of 53,527 was on hand. The Lions entered the game with a 2-1 record while Toronto was undefeated. After falling behind 21-3 in the first quarter, the Lions battled back and took control of the game in the final quarter. Toronto managed to tie the game but in overtime an electrifying kickoff return for a touchdown by Raymond Ethridge and terrific play by the Lions' special teams spelled the difference. B.C. won 52-41. Unfortunately, the following week arch rival and 1991 nemisis Calgary Stampeders stopped B.C. 34-30 in overtime. B.C.'s offence led the league in 11 different categories and the team was in a battle for first place right to the end of the season, putting Edmonton away at Commonwealth Stadium in overtime on October 20, 39-38. But every time Doug Flutie and the Lions needed to put Calgary away something went wrong. Entering the playoffs against the Stampeders in third place with an 11-7 record (best B.C. performance in four years), B.C. took a commanding 31-15 lead by the end of the first half. The team had never lost a game all year when leading at the half. But Calgary came back with an incredible third quarter scoring four touchdowns and then holding off the Lions to win 43-41. A disappointing loss which was partially offset by the fact that three B.C. Lions won outstanding player awards. Doug Flutie was named the CFL's Outstanding Player, Jon Volpe was the CFL's Outstanding Rookie, while Jim Mills became the Outstanding Offensive Lineman for the second consecutive year. Although Doug Flutie signed as a free agent with the Calgary Stampeders, the acquisition of Danny Barrett in late spring brought hope of good things to come.

1992
The team entered training camp in Kelowna with promise. Despite the loss of Doug Flutie, Danny Barrett had led Calgary to the Grey Cup in 1991, and was an excellent quarterback. But in the season opener against Edmonton, Danny struggled and was replaced by Tony Kimbrough in the second half. The Eskimos went on to a 37-26 victory. The next week, the Lions travelled to Toronto and in the first five minutes of the game marched down the field scoring on an impressive drive. Unfortunately, it was the only bright spot of the evening for B.C. as the Argonauts handed the Lions one of their worst defeats ever – 61-20. In the third game of the year against Doug Flutie and the Calgary Stampeders, the Lions were holding their own when Danny Barrett went down in the third quarter with a seperated shoulder. Flutie then guided Calgary to a 37-19 win and the Lions went downhill from there. The team lost eight straight before finally edging out Ottawa 33-27 on September 3 with Danny Barrett back at the helm. In fact, B.C. looked strong and confident in doing so. Unfortunately off-season problems emerged to swing focus from football to ownership. Team owner Murray Pezim and his company Prime Sports, declared bankruptcy and the League and Commissioner Larry Smith stepped in as the interim owners and the search for a new owner was launched. Three weeks later the new owner was found. Bill Comrie, owner of the Brick chain of furniture stores stepped in, saved the team and ushered in a new era. Unfortunately, the team didn't respond, losing the final seven games of the year after winning three straight, finishing the season with a 3-15 record. That spelled the end for Head Coach Bob O'Billovich. On December 12 a new General Manager – Eric Tillman – was announced and he in turn brought in Dave Ritchie, the Defensive Coordinator of the Ottawa Rough Riders, as his new Head Coach.

1993
The new B.C. Lions, under the guidance of Head Coach Dave Ritchie and General Manager Eric Tillman signed a number of proven CFL veterans including James “Wild” West, Danny McManus, Rob Smith, Less Browne, Tyrone Jones and Sean Foudy. Then exciting rookies such as Cory Philpot, draft pick Tom Europe, Derek Grier and a few others were added to the roster. A contract dispute with Jon Volpe kept him from training camp but by the time the second game rolled around against Toronto he was in the lineup. The team struck quickly with wins over Saskatchewan and Toronto before grinding to a stop in Winnipeg after only three days between road games. However, they would only lose two more through July, August, and midway through September cruising to an 8-3 record for the best start since 1987. Danny Barrett broke one of the most prestigious of all records – single-game passing yards – tossing 30 completions for 601 yards eclipsing a mark of 586 set back in 1954 by Sam “The Rifle” Etcheverry. The team entered the September 18 game in Calgary in a battle for first place. However, that night at McMahon Stadium Doug Flutie and the Stamps took a 24-11 halftime lead to go on to a 40-21 victory. That marked the turning point and the Lions would win only two of the next seven games, sliding to a 64-27 pounding against Sacramento in the regular season finale. Nevertheless, they made the playoffs and faced Calgary in the Western Semi-Final on November 14. Despite outplaying the Stampeders, generating twice as much offense, the team could not score a touchdown and fell 17-9 to the Stamps. However, the 10-8 record was a huge turnaround and gave promise for good things to come in 1994.

The Lions entered the 1994 campaign with one of the finest quarterbacks in the history of the CFL at the helm. Kent Austin was acquired in the off-season in a trade involving Ottawa and Saskatchewan which saw Danny Barrett head to the eastern Rough Riders, and Tom Burgess move back to Saskatchewan. Ottawa also provided offensive guard Denny Chronopoulos, big defensive lineman Andrew Stewart and one of the CFL's finest rush linebackers – Angelo Snipes. A group of young, unknown, aggressive linebackers emerged at training camp – Henry Newby, Tyrone Chatman and Virgil Robertson – while the secondary was strengthened at camp with the addition of Charles Gordon and Enis Jackson. The team opened the season at home and gave a taste of things to come with a hard-fought 24-20 victory over Winnipeg. The Lions offensive power was amply demonstrated the following week with a 57-18 thumping of the Ottawa Rough Riders. By the end of August the Lions were 7-1-0, and had broken several single-game offensive records including points with a 67-15 win over Shreveport.

1995
The Lions entered the 1995 season with a new starting QB. Grey Cup hero Danny McManus became the first string pivot as Kent Austin was sent to Toronto. Shelton Quarles is added to a strong linebacker corps. The season started with an exciting late come from behind victory over the Baltimore Stallions at home 37-34. The Lions won their first three contests before suffering a set back in Calgary. The Leos got back on track with a strong performance over the eastern Riders and went on to a 7-1 record challenging the Stampeders in the North Division. The injury bug caught up to the Lions during a three game in 10 days road trip which resulted in several key players being sidelined. It was a situation the team couldn't recover from. A victory over Saskatchewan at home in the final regular season contest solidified 3rd place in the rugged Northern Division and a trip to Edmonton for the Play-offs. It wasn't a repeat of last year's playoffs as the Lions' season came to an end in a 26-15 loss to the Eskimos. Season highlights saw running back Cory Philpot break the CFL record for touchdowns in a season with 22. Lui Passaglia ended the season with 3,160 career points. Jamie Taras was named the Northern Division's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman.

1996
It was a season of change and instability for the Lions. Former quarterback and fan favourite Joe Paopao returned to the Lions from the Edmonton Eskimos as the new Head Coach, replacing Dave Ritchie. The biggest change came on March 11th. That was the day owner Bill Comrie announced that the club had been sold to a group of 10 local businessmen headed by Nelson Skalbania and Michael Jensen. The Lions held training camp at UBC with over a hundred players invited. Mike McCarthy arrived in Vancouver to become the new Lions' President. On the field, the BC Lions started the season with 18 new faces in the line-up. Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware was the new starting quarterback. The club went 0-4 to start the season. Damon Allen was signed to become the new QB. Once more the club lost, this time at home against Hamilton, but won in Hamilton the following week. Generally, it was a season of turmoil. August 31 marked the end of Nelson Skalbania and his group as owners of BC Lions. The team went into receivership. The bright spot of the season was an incredible against-all-odds 35-11 victory over Doug Flutie and the Toronto Argonauts, in September. On October 31st, Hamilton Businessman David Braley announced his intention to buy the football team. November 2nd marked the end of the season as the Lions defeated Ottawa 35-24 in what was the Rough Riders' final game in club history. December came and the Lions announced Glen Ringdal as the new team President. A season ticket campaign was started with the need to increase awareness and revenue for the franchise.

1997
Thie Lions made the playoffs for the 20th time in the 43 year club history. The game was the first time in CFL history that a Western Conference team is participating in the Eastern Semi-Final. The Lions finished in fourth place in the West with an 8-10 record. BC concluded their season losing their last four games and final six road games. It was 3-5 against Eastern opponents, beating Hamilton twice and Winnipeg. The Alouettes finished with the second best record in the CFL and second in the East with a 13-5 record. They were 8-1 at home (Loss against Edmonton) and 5-3 against Western opponents including two victories over the Lions.

1998
The B.C. Lions started the 1998 season off on the wrong foot, losing their first three games, before finally beating Saskatchewan in Week 4. The defence was holding their own, but the offensive side of the ball seemed to be struggling. August 9, was a low point for the year when the eventual Grey Cup champions came into BC Place Stadium and beat the hometown Leos 55-9. With a record of 3-6-0, Head Coach Adam Rita resigned, and gave the job to Greg Mohns. The no nonsense attitude of Mohns, seemed to spark the team as they went on a memorable six game winning streak (which the team had not done since 1986) and was the hottest team in the CFL heading into the playoffs. The Lions lost the playoff game to Edmonton in heartbreaking fashion but promised they would be the team to beat once 1999 rolled around.

1999
Following the team's outstanding finish in 1998 and with the Grey Cup game to be played in Vancouver, expectations were high for the Lions in 1999. Quality free agents such as slotback Don Blair and cornerback Eric Carter were brought in to add depth to an already impressive lineup, and with the likes of Robert Drummond and Jimmy “The Jet” Cunningham back in form following injury-plagued 1998 seasons, the team looked ready to roll. And roll it did right out of the gate, winning its first three games to set a new club record with nine straight regular season wins. Although the team would stumble at times and play down to its more weaker opponents, the Lions either held sole possession of first place or were tied with Calgary throughout the season. In the pivotal matches against the Stamps, the Lions won the first three and then lost in week 16 to tie things up again. But the Lions won the final two games at home and finished in first with a 13-5 record, the best since 1985. They won the Western Division for the first time since 1987 and would host their first playoff game in 12 years. Unfortunately, the dream season came to a premature end, as the Stamps beat the Lions 26-24 in an exciting but heartbreaking contest. There were 11 Western and four CFL all-stars on the team, Paul Lacoste was voted the CFL's top rookie, Daved Benefield was the West's top defensive player, and Jamie Taras was the West's top offensive lineman and won the Tom Pate Award for community service. But the year was not complete without a Grey Cup win, and the Lions were hoping the final piece of the puzzle would come together in Calgary on November 26, 2000.