Page "BC Lions" Paragraph 17

In 1951, a group led by Ken Stauffer and Tiny Radar were inspired by Vancouver Sun columnist Andy Lytle's article to start a football team in Vancouver ( an early team known as the Vancouver Grizzlies had played one season in the Western Interprovincial Football Union in 1941 ).

The ownership group sent their representatives to the off-season WIFU meetings to initiate Vancouver ’ s bid for a team.

The representatives ( Radar and Orville Burke ) were told to return to the meetings the following year with a $ 25, 000 good-faith bond if they could generate sufficient interest in the Vancouver area.

The first meetings were held at the Arctic Club in November and a committee headed by Burke and Harry Spring of the Meraloma Rugby Club, set out to sell memberships at $ 20 each.

They would carry the Black and Orange of the Meralomas founded in 1923 over to the professional team.