As first announced on the club’s 1st and Now Podcast Thursday, The BC Lions are proud to welcome the 2000 Grey Cup Championship Team to our Wall of Fame as part of Legends Night on Friday, September 13 against the Toronto Argonauts.
“It was a Cinderella story as we snuck into the playoffs and went all the way, capturing the coveted Grey Cup,” said Lions’ director of community partnerships and offensive lineman from the 2000 team Jamie Taras.
“It’s an honour to have the entire team join our Wall of Fame and forever be enshrined with the long list of franchise greats.”
Led by franchise passing leader Damon Allen, the two-headed backfield monster of Sean Millington and Robert Drummond plus a stout defence which included Division All-Stars Eric Carter and Herman Smith and charismatic game-breaker Carl Kidd, the 2000 Lions defied the odds by becoming the first team to sip from the Grey Cup after finishing below .500 in the regular season.
Before November came around, the squad endured some tough losses and a change at head coach as Steve Buratto took over from the departed Greg Mohns with the Lions sitting at 3-4 in mid-August. Under Buratto, the squad got hot at the right time, backing into the playoffs as the third-place team in the West.
After edging Edmonton 34-32 in the Western Semi-Final at Commonwealth Stadium, the road warriors went into Calgary and stunned the division-leading Stampeders 37-23 with Carter’s first-half interception return touchdown serving as a major catalyst. From there, the squad moved across the hall into Calgary’s dressing room for the 88th Grey Cup against Montreal.
Two touchdown runs from Allen and a 44-yard scamper to the end zone from Drummond provided the damage on offence while Lui Passaglia authored the perfect fairy-tale ending to a Hall of Fame career as his 29-yard field goal with 1:25 left proved to be the winning points as the Lions prevailed 28-26 to bring home the fourth Grey Cup in team history.
Added co-GM/director of football operations Neil McEvoy who served as a special teams assistant in 2000:
“That was a very special group of men who battled hard for each other and knew how to win. While the regular season standings may have indicated otherwise, this team proved what they were capable of when it mattered most.”
The 2000 Grey Cup champions’ induction serves as the backdrop to a special Legends Night where we honour our storied past and look ahead to an exciting future as the evening is dedicated to celebrating the BC Lions’ 70th season.