Lui Passaglia
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| Lui Passaglia | |
|---|---|
 BC Lions' placekicking great Lui Passaglia (r) in action. |
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| Date of birth | June 7, 1954 |
| Place of birth |  Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Position(s) | Placekicker Punter Wide receiver |
| College | Simon Fraser University |
| Team(s) | |
| 1976-2000 |
British Columbia Lions |
| Canadian Hall of Fame | |
Lui Passaglia (born June 7, 1954 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) is a former professional Canadian football player and current front-office executive with the Canadian Football League's British Columbia Lions. Passaglia was the placekicker/punter for the Lions for a record-breaking 25 years (1976-2000). He is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame, and the B.C. Lions Wall of Fame. Passaglia's #5 jersey is one of eight numbers retired by the Lions.[1] In 2003, Passaglia was voted a member of the B.C. Lions All-Time Dream Team as part of the club’s 50 year anniversary celebration.[2] Passaglia is currently the Director of Community Relations for the B.C. Lions.[3]
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[edit] High School and College Career
After playing quarterback at Notre Dame High School in East Vancouver, Passaglia, not straying far from home, accepted an athletic scholarship to local Simon Fraser University in suburban Burnaby, British Columbia.[4] At Simon Fraser, Passaglia played wide receiver as well as kicker/punter.[5] As a member of the Clan, Passaglia recorded 175 career points, won All NAIA District 1 honors twice, and was named an All-Northwest All-Star.[5] Passaglia was the fifth overall selection of the B.C. Lions in the 1976 Canadian College draft, as a kicker and wide receiver.[3]
[edit] Canadian Football League Career
Passaglia caught a 10-yard touchdown pass in his first CFL game on July 22, 1976 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.[6] His only other career touchdown came on a one-yard run in his final home game at B.C. Place Stadium, on November 4, 2000, again against the Roughriders.[6] Between those two touchdown "bookends," Passaglia arguably became one of the most consistent performers in Lions', CFL, and professional football history.[5][6] (This may be a record incapable of being broken: the record for the number of games between touchdowns!
Passaglia played the most CFL regular seasons at 25, the most CFL regular season games at 408, and scored the most points in regular season play with 3,991 points, all with one team: the B.C. Lions.[3] Passaglia was the first player to score 200 points in a season (1987), with 214 points.[6]
Passaglia holds many CFL regular season records including total points scored (3,991), most converts at 1,045 (560 consecutive - he missed only three), most field goals at 875 (of 1,203 attempted), best single season field goal percentage at 90.9% (40 of 44 in 2000, his final year of play), and most single points at 309.[4] Passaglia is the second all-time CFL punt leader with 3,142 for 133,826 yards (behind Bob Cameron), with the second highest average in a season (1983) of 50.2 yards (Jon Ryan had a higher average in the 2005 season).[6] In CFL playoff games, Lui holds records for most points with 210, is tied for most field goals with 48, and has the longest recorded punt of 89 yards.[6]
As a Lion, Lui was named a CFL Western Division All-Star nine times, and was a CFL All-Star four times (1979, 1983, 1984, and 2000).[4] Passaglia was a member of three of the Lions' Grey Cup seasons (1985, 1994, and 2000), winning the Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian award twice (1985 and 1994).[4] Passaglia is the longest-playing Lion in team history, appearing in a total of 408 games, overtaking Leos' great Al Wilson's previous mark of 233 games.[6]
Lui retired from the CFL following the Lions' 28-26 Grey Cup victory over the Montreal Alouettes in 2000, where he kicked the winning points in the game.[6] In 2003, Passaglia was voted a member of the B.C. Lions All-Time Dream Team, at the kicker and punter positions, as part of the club’s 50 year anniversary celebration.[2]
[edit] Post-CFL Career
Passaglia, who resides in Coquitlam, British Columbia with his wife and four children, is the current Director of Community Relations for the B.C. Lions.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ B.C. Lions Retired Numbers. BCLions.com. Retrieved on 2006-08-20.
- ^ a b B.C. Lions Dream Team. BCLions.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-10.
- ^ a b c d Lui Passaglia - Director of Community Relations (B.C. Lions). BCLions.com. Retrieved on 2006-08-20.
- ^ a b c d Canadian Football Hall of Fame - Lui Passaglia. Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2006-08-20.
- ^ a b c B.C. Sports Hall of Fame - Lui Passaglia. B.C. Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2006-08-20.
- ^ a b c d e f g h CFL: A Historical Look - Lui Passaglia (B.C. Lions). CFL: A Historical Look (Fan Site). Retrieved on 2006-08-20.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Sean Kehoe |
Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian 1985 |
Succeeded by Paul Osbaldiston |
| Preceded by Sean Fleming |
Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian 1994 |
Succeeded by Dave Sapunjis |
Categories: 1954 births | Living people | British Columbia Lions players | British Columbia sportspeople | Canadian Football Hall of Fame | Canadian Football League placekickers | Canadian Football League punters | Canadian players of Canadian football | Grey Cup champions | Italian Canadians | People from Vancouver | Simon Fraser University alumni
