| 1973 BC Lions season | |
|---|---|
| General manager | Jackie Parker |
| Head coach | Eagle Keys |
| Home field | Empire Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–9–2 |
| Division place | 3rd, West |
| Playoff finish | Lost Western Semi-Final |
| Uniform | |
 | |
The 1973 BC Lions finished in third place in the Western Conference with a 5–9–2 record. They beat the Calgary Stampeders in the final game of the regular season to make the playoffs. However, the Lions would lose to Saskatchewan in the Western Semi-Final 33–13.
In April, the Lions traded star fullback Jim Evenson to Ottawa. This would result in more carries for sophomore Johnny Musso, star running back from University of Alabama, who the Lions outbid the Chicago Bears of the NFL in 1972. Musso didn't disappoint as he ran for 1029 yards in 1973, had 475 yards receiving and scored 10 touchdowns.
Third year starting quarterback Don Moorhead split time with back-up Karl Douglas as the Lions tried to find the solution to their stagnant offence which produced only 16.3 points per game. In aggregate, both quarterbacks could only generate eight touchdowns through the air all season.
Sophomore linebacker Ray Nettles won the Schenley award for Most Outstanding Defensive Player and was the only Lion named to the CFL all-star team.
Linebacker Greg Findlay retired after 12 seasons and 178 games for the Lions.
Offseason
CFL Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Preseason
| Game | Date | Opponent | Results | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Record | |||||
Regular season
Season standings
| Team | GP | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton Eskimos | 16 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 329 | 284 | 20 |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders | 16 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 360 | 287 | 20 |
| BC Lions | 16 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 261 | 328 | 12 |
| Calgary Stampeders | 16 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 214 | 368 | 12 |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 16 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 267 | 315 | 9 |
Season schedule
| Game | Date | Opponent | Results | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Record | |||
| 1 | July 31 | vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders | L 5–21 | 0–1 |
| 2 | Aug 8 | at Saskatchewan Roughriders | L 19–38 | 0–2 |
| 3 | Aug 14 | vs. Edmonton Eskimos | W 30–11 | 1–2 |
| 4 | Aug 22 | at Winnipeg Blue Bombers | W 23–19 | 2–2 |
| 5 | Aug 28 | vs. Calgary Stampeders | W 9–2 | 3–2 |
| 6 | Sept 3 | at Hamilton Tiger-Cats | L 24–44 | 3–3 |
| 7 | Sept 5 | at Ottawa Rough Riders | L 24–26 | 3–4 |
| 8 | Sept 11 | vs. Montreal Alouettes | L 7–10 | 3–5 |
| 9 | Sept 18 | vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers | L 13–33 | 3–6 |
| 10 | Sept 23 | at Calgary Stampeders | L 12–13 | 3–7 |
| 11 | Sept 29 | vs. Toronto Argonauts | T 22–22 | 3–7–1 |
| 12 | Oct 7 | at Saskatchewan Roughriders | L 9–24 | 3–8–1 |
| 13 | Oct 13 | vs. Edmonton Eskimos | L 13–27 | 3–9–1 |
| 14 | Oct 20 | at Edmonton Eskimos | T 14–14 | 3–9–2 |
| 15 | Oct 28 | at Winnipeg Blue Bombers | W 22–17 | 4–9–2 |
| 16 | Nov 3 | vs. Calgary Stampeders | W 15–7 | 5–9–2 |
Playoffs
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC Lions | ? | ? | ? | ? | 13 |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders | ? | ? | ? | ? | 33 |
Offensive leaders
| Player | Passing yds | Rushing yds | Receiving yds | TD |
| Don Moorhead | 2005 | 283 | 0 | 0 |
| Karl Douglas | 1020 | 88 | 0 | 1 |
| Johnny Musso | 1029 | 475 | 10 | |
| Lou Harris | 482 | 416 | 6 | |
| Monroe Eley | 373 | 338 | 3 | |
| Jim Young | 49 | 719 | 3 | |
| Lefty Hendrickson | 0 | 631 | 3 | |
Awards and records
1973 CFL All-Stars
- LB – Ray Nettles, CFL All-Star
References
- ↑ "CFL.ca". Archived from the original on 2009-10-06. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
- ↑ "British Columbia Lions All-Time Canadian Football League (CFL) Records". Archived from the original on 2009-03-11. Retrieved 2009-03-08.