Published on July 18, 2008
When B.C. Lions President Bob Ackles passed away suddenly of a heart attack July 6, the tributes flowed regarding his career in football and about Bob, the person. The magnitude of Bob’s influence on Canadian football, the City of Vancouver and the Province of British Columbia became more evident everyday as tributes continued to pour in all last week, culminating with a half-hour tribute during last week’s Friday Night Football pre-game show. Moments of silence prior to all CFL week 3 games and wealth of people paying their respects at his funeral last Saturday paid honour to a man who left examples of hard work, honesty and integrity as his legacy for working within a community. Tonight, July 18 — Bob Ackles Day, the B.C. Lions will play their first home game since Bob’s death, and provide the fans of the Lions an opportunity to pay their respects to Bob with a public memorial ceremony after the game. The stadium is expected to be full and the blackout has been lifted, allowing citizens across the province and Canada to bid Bob farewell watching the game he loved.
Published on July 11, 2008
The launch of the 2008 CFL season brought much media attention. Some of it was not focused on the game, the players, the off-season changes, but on the CFL’s response facing an invasion from the Buffalo Bills, and eventually in the Canadian media’s eyes, the NFL.