The CFL moved to an 18-game regular-season schedule in 1986, and since then there have been two 8-10 teams that have brought home the Grey Cup.
The 2010 B.C. Lions, who squeaked into the playoffs and face the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday in the West Division semi-final, are hoping to be the third.
Lions general manager and head coach Wally Buono said his current team has more talent and a better quarterback than the 2001 Calgary Stampeders, whom he coached to an unlikely championship. Buono said that Calgary team did it with "smoke and mirrors."
The other 8-10 champion was B.C. in 2000.
Former fullback Sean Millington, who still lives in Vancouver, found himself thinking of that club this week, and wondering whether the current edition of the Lions could match the accomplishment.
"That's why they call it the Crazy Football League," he said of how losing teams can become champions. "We were definitely confident [heading into the 2000 playoffs]because at that point, we knew what we had."
Like the 2001 Stampeders and the 2000 Lions, B.C. enters the 2010 postseason having won three of its last four games. The other similarity is that each team had a galvanizing moment, when the poor record was set aside, and the players and coaches came together to forge a new identity.
Here, then, is a look at how the 2010 Lions compare with the two teams whose footsteps they are attempting to follow:
Team: B.C. Lions
Year: 2000
Head coach: Steve Buratto
Quarterback: Damon Allen
Last four games: 3-1
Galvanizing moment: Buratto was brought in early in the regular season to serve as a consultant, but was quickly promoted to receivers coach, then head coach when Greg Mohns left for the XFL after a 3-4 start. On Aug. 24, in Buratto's first game at the helm, the Lions blew out the Toronto Argonauts 51-4 behind 511 yards of total offence and the strong running of Robert Drummond and Millington. "Up until that point - I hate to say it - but it was a gong show," Millington said. "Almost right out of the gate after [Buratto]took over, things took an about-face. … All of a sudden, the offence started to gel and started winning games for us."
Team: Calgary Stampeders
Year: 2001
Head coach: Wally Buono
Quarterback: Marcus Crandell
Last four games: 3-1
Galvanizing moment: The Stampeders were 5-9 with four games remaining, when two kickers and two offensive linemen took it upon themselves to change the team's culture. Lineman Freddie Childress (6 foot 4, 345 pounds) and Thomas Rayam (6 foot 7, 290) insisted that everybody hustle at every moment of practice. "When Freddie and Thomas asked you to do something, you did it," Buono said. "They were pretty imposing guys." Concurrently, kickers Mark McLoughlin and Tony Martino began putting inspirational messages in every player's locker. In some cases they were simply pictures of the Grey Cup or questions such as "How should we design our rings?"
Team: B.C. Lions
Year: 2010
Head coach: Wally Buono
Quarterback: Travis Lulay
Last four games: 3-1
Galvanizing moment: A record 55 millimetres of rain fell in metro Vancouver on Tuesday, Aug. 31, and when Buono surveyed the day, he felt practice would be miserable for all involved. The Lions were 1-7 at the time, and had just come off an "ass-kicking" at the hands of Calgary. They were heading into Montreal, where the Alouettes had won 13 consecutive games on home turf. "You would think it would've been like prying teeth to get them to do something, but [the players]were sharp and focused," Buono said. "It was not only a good practice, there was a good vibe. I can't explain it, but it shouldn't have been that way." B.C. beat Montreal, and finished the season on a 7-3 run.