Who was the best BC Lion to ever wear the #9? Three brilliant players immediately come to mind and two of them are among the best quarterbacks to ever don orange and black.
Roy Dewalt set a new standard for the position and won quite a few games in a memorable decade for the club, including the 1985 Grey Cup. There is Damon Allen, who threw for more yards than any quarterback in team history who also led the franchise to their fourth Grey Cup championship. And then on defence, Barron Miles was an integral part of a secondary that did some pretty impressive things in a very exciting era of BC Lions football.
Roy Dewalt- #9-QB- 1980-1987
Originally drafted as a running back by the Cleveland Browns, Dewalt ventured north in 1980 and it would prove to be a major coup for the organization. After serving as a backup to Joe Paopao for two seasons, Dewalt was handed keys to the starting job in 1982 and would be the driver for one of the most impressive runs in franchise history. From 1983 to Dewalt’s final year of 1987, the Lions finish first in the West four times and appeared in two Grey Cups, winning their second title in 1985 when Dewalt was named offensive MVP in the 37-24 win over Hamilton.
That was a nice cap to Dewalt’s best season in orange where he completed 476 passes for 4,237 yards and 27 touchdowns. A member of the club’s Wall of Fame, Dewalt left BC with more passing yards, touchdowns and completions than any quarterback in team history. Those records appeared that they might last forever until some guy named Damon arrived a decade later….
Damon Allen- #9- QB- 1997-2003
Allen’s arrival midway through the 1996 season would prove to be a key moment for a franchise in need of a turnaround. After helping the Lions get back to the playoffs in 1997 and 1998, Allen was a West Division All-Star in 1999 with 4,219 passing yards and 22 touchdown strikes to go along with 136 carries for 785 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. He was named a CFL West Division All-Star that season. However, the 2000 season would bring Allen’s most notable accomplishments for both the team and its fans.
On October 28th of that year be moved ahead of Ron Lancaster as the CFL’s all-time leader in passing yards. And then who can forget the magical playoff run where Allen helped lead upsets over Edmonton and Calgary before rushing for two touchdowns in the 28-26 win over Montreal to capture the Grey Cup. Allen has surpassed Dewalt as the franchise’s all-time leader in passing yards (27,621), passing touchdowns (136) and completions (2,039). We have a hunch he will also get quite a few votes in this #9 poll!
Barron Miles- #9- DB- 2005-2009
You would be hardpressed to find a more impactful defensive free agent addition for the Lions than the former Nebraska Cornhusker who had already established himself as a star with the Montreal Alouettes. Perhaps the most impressive attribute for Miles was the fact he was still competing at a high level right up until his retirement following the 2009 season. Miles was named a CFL All-Star three times with the Lions- 2006, 2008 and 2009- and was a West All-Star selection in every season he played here.
Barron’s 36 interceptions as a Lion are fourth all-time for the club behind only Larry Crawford, Ryan Phillips and Norm Fieldgate. He recorded a career-high ten interceptions in 2006 en route to helping an elite defence shutdown Montreal in a 25-14 Grey Cup victory. Bottom line? The Lions elite secondary needed some veteran leadership and the addition of Miles in 2005 was exactly what the doctor ordered. He was inducted to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
Who is going to be! Cast your vote for the best #9 in BC Lions history. In this case, there certainly isn’t a wrong answer. You might look at the quarterbacks as having an overall greater impact on the franchise, but Barron’s status as a defensive game-breaker cannot be overlooked!
Roy Dewalt
Roy Dewalt had a solid nine year CFL career from 1980 to 1988, all with the BC Lions except for his final season which he split between Winnipeg and Ottawa. Dewalt was a ningth round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns of the NFL, but signed with the BC Lions in 1980. Dewalt saw limited action in his first two seasons, but in 1983 took over at the BC Lions regular QB and held that job throug hthe 1987 season. Other than his first couple of seasons and his final year, Dewalt’s completion percentage was generally near 60% and finished with a 57.6% completion percentage 24 147 career yards passing. Dewal’s best season came in 1987 when he completed 303 of 531 attempts for 3855 yards and earned a Western All-Star honour. After the 1987 season, Dewalt signed as a free agent with Winnipeg and was traded by the Bombers in October to Ottawa for Leon Hatziiannou.
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Barron Miles
Class of 2018
Barron Miles was a standout defensive back out of the University of Nebraska, where he captured a 1994 NCAA national championship before joining the Montreal Alouettes in 1998 and enjoying a stellar 12-year CFL career.
Miles was recognized as a league All-Star six times at two different positions and won Grey Cups with both the Alouettes (2002) and BC Lions (2006).
The native of Roselle, N.J. spent seven seasons in Montreal, earning four East All-Star nods (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003) and three CFL All-Star honours (1999, 2000 and 2002).
After joining the Lions as a free agent in 2005, he was again named a league All-Star at defensive back during the Lions’ championship season in 2006, when he led the league with 10 interceptions, and earned two more CFL All-Star nods as a safety in 2008 and 2009, the final two seasons of his pro career. He was an eight-time CFLPA All-Star (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009).
In total, Miles played 189 regular season games and 13 more in the playoffs, winning two Grey Cups (2002, 2006) and participating in two others with the Alouettes (2000, 2003).
He retired with 66 career interceptions, tied for second-most in league history, and is the CFL’s all-time leader with 13 blocked kicks, holding the all-time franchise marks for both the Alouettes (seven) and Lions (six). His 980 interception return yards is sixth-best in CFL history.
He received the Frank M. Gibson Trophy as Outstanding Rookie in the East in 1998 and the James P. McCaffrey Trophy as Outstanding Defensive Player in the East in 2002.
In 2004, the CFL Players Association honoured Miles with the Tom Pate Memorial Award for Outstanding Community Service.
Since retiring as a player, Miles has held coaching stints with the Lions, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Edmonton Eskimos, earning two more Grey Cup rings as a coach.
Career
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Montreal Alouettes 1998 – 2004 |
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BC Lions 2005 – 2009 |
Awards/Honours
- CFL Eastern All-Star
1999 – 2003 - CFL Western All-Star
2005-2009 - CFL All-Star
1999,2000, 2002 2006,2008,2009 - Grey Cup Game Participation
2001,2003,2006 - Grey Cup Winning Teams
2006 - Tom Pate Trophy Winner
2004
Damon Allen
To call Damon Allen, the Rodney Dangerfield of CFL quartebacks doesn’t seem quite right, but sometimes it doesn’t seem Allen gets the respect he deserves. After 23 years in the CFL (1985-2007), Damon Allen is the leading passer in CFL history in virutally every category including yards and t ouchdowns thrown. Allen is actually the all-time professional football leader, though that record will not likely ever get acknowledged south of the border where he is still Marcus Allen’s brother. Critics might write off Allen’s records as the result of simple longevity. If you play long enough, you can’t help but break some career records. If it was that easy, however, then why has no one else done it? More than a few times in his career, Allen has been written off as washed up, only to have Allen fool everyone by putting up big numbers and leading teams to the Grey Cup. Allen started his career as a free agent signing with Edmonton in May of 1985. Edmonton was a QB factory at the time, producing not just Allen, but Matt Dunigan and Tracy Ham, so Allen didn’t see a lot of playing time in his four years in Edmonton (1985-88), with his best year coming in 1987 when he clicked on 52.3% of 287 pass attempts for 2670 yards and 17 touchdowns. Allen also ran for 562 yards and began to establish himself as one of the best running quarterbacks in the league. 1987 also marked Allen’s first Grey Cup win as Edmonton beat Toronto 38-36 in Vancouver. After 1988, Allen became a free agent and signed with the Ottawa Rough Riders, and becoming the undisputed #1 QB on the team for the next three years (1989-91). In those three years, his yard total increased each year from 3093 to 3883 to 4275 while he continued to dazzle with his feet, rushing for 1036 yards in 1991. After 1991, Allen became a free agent again, and signed with Hamilton where he played just one season, throwing for 3856 yards and running for another 851. Hamilton traded Allen back to Edmonton for the 1993 season for QB De Chane Cameron, LB DeWayne Odom, LB Michael O’Shea and LB William Freeney. If not for the inclusion of the talented young O’Shea, that would be one very lopsided deal. Allen’s second stint in Edmonton lasted two years (1993-94) and he threw for over 3000 yards in each season while running for 920 yards in 1993 and 707 yars in 1994. Allen won his second Grey Cup with the Esks in 1993, as they beat Winnipeg 33-23. A free agent once more, Allen signed for the 1995 season with the expansion Memhis Mad Dogs. Ten years into his career and at a point where many players are thinking about retiring, Allen just got better. For the first ten years of his career, Allen was better known for his running than for his passing as his career completion perentage to that point was just a bit over 50%. 1995, however, seemed to mark a turning point in Allen’s career as he became a more accomplished passer, completing a then career high 58.5% of his passes. With the folding of the American based teams after the 1995 season, Allen was signed by the BC Lions where he began his longest run with any team, playing with the Lions until 2002. While Allen could still kill you with his feet, he showed he could also do it with his arm as he topped the 60% completion mark for three of those season, with a career high 64.8% in 1997. BC rode Allen’s arm to a Grey Cup win in 2000 as the Lions defeated Montreal 28-26, and many thought Allen would end his long and outstanding career at that point. Damon Allen thought otherwise and his love for the game kept him going for another two years in BC until they decided it was time to go with a younger QB and signed Dave Dickinson who was returning from the NFL. The Lions husteled the supposedly washed up Allen to Toronto for some draft picks in the 2004 and 2005 drafts just prior to the 2003 season. Allen showed he was far from washed up as he returned from an early season injury in 2004 to lead the Argos to a 27-19 Grey Cup victory over the self same BC Lions. While the Argos didn’t make it to the Grey Cup in 2005, Allen had one of his best seasons in his twenty first season as he completed 64.1% of his 549 passes and set a career high with 5082 yards passing. Not bad for an old man. In his his outstanding career, Allen was named a divisonal All-Star three times (1991 in Ottawa, 1999 in BC and 2005 in Toronto), and an All-Canadian in 2005. Allen was named the Outstanding Player in the CFL in 2005 and will be a no brainer selection to the Hall-of-Fame when he is eligible
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