2011 BC Lions season
| 2011 BC Lions season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Wally Buono |
| General manager | Wally Buono |
| Home field |
Empire Field BC Place Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 11–7 |
| Division place | 1st, West |
| Playoff finish | Grey Cup Champions |
| Team MOP | Travis Lulay |
| Team MOC | Paul McCallum |
| Team MOR | Tim Brown |
| Uniform | |
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The 2011 BC Lions season was the 54th season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 58th overall. The Lions finished in first place in the West division with an 11–7 record. The Lions won their sixth Grey Cup championship over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers by a score of 34–23. The Lions became the first team in league history to start a season 0–5 and finish in first place. They also became the first team to lose their first five regular season games and win the Grey Cup. The Lions were also the first team to win a Grey Cup championship in their home stadium since the 1994 BC Lions and were only the fourth team to win at home since the inception of the Canadian Football League in 1958. Because of their remarkable season, the Lions were named the Canadian Press Team of the Year for 2011, becoming only the second CFL team to win the award since 1983.
The Lions opened their training camp at Hillside Stadium in Kamloops, British Columbia with rookie camp beginning June 1 and main camp beginning on June 5. Due to ongoing construction at BC Place Stadium, the Lions played their first five regular season games at Empire Field before moving to BC Place for the remaining four. On October 10, 2011, the Lions clinched a playoff berth after the Saskatchewan Roughriders lost their game to the Edmonton Eskimos. This extends the franchise record to 15 straight years in the playoffs, with that mark also tied for fourth-best in CFL history.
Due to the continued construction of BC Place Stadium, the Lions started their season at Empire Field, the temporary stadium that they played in for all ten games in 2010. However, it was unclear as to when the Lions would move into the refurbished stadium, as the contractor, PCL Westcoast Constructor, would not reveal a date. It was likely that between three and five regular season games would be played at BC Place Stadium and it has been guaranteed that it will be complete by November 1, in time for the 99th Grey Cup, which it is scheduled to host.
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