B.C. Lions mourn passing of legendary broadcaster Jim Robson

Photo: Ken Oakes

The B.C. Lions have expressed their mourning after British Columbia broadcast legend Jim Robson died on Tuesday at the age of 91.

“Jim’s voice provided the soundtrack for sports fans across multiple generations. Before carving out his Hockey Hall of Fame career behind the microphone for the Vancouver Canucks, Jim served as radio play-by-play voice of the Lions from 1956 to 1969, the second-longest tenure for our club behind J.P. McConnell,” wrote the team

“Jim’s professionalism and dedication to his craft set the standard for everyone who followed in his footsteps. Our organization has been blessed with a great history of broadcasters across seven-plus decades, and Jim served as a pioneer for our decorated history. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.”

The native of Prince Alberta, Sask. served as the play-by-play announcer of the Vancouver Canucks from 1970 to 1999. He previously covered the Lions as well as the Vancouver Mounties of the Pacific Coast League (PCL).

Robson won the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award in 1992, and was inducted into the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998, the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 2000, and Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2002. The broadcast booth at Rogers Arena is named in his honour.

Away from the ice, Robson was a sought-after guest speaker across the province and served as a director for the B.C. Benevolent Hockey Association and Canucks Alumni.

The B.C. Lions finished second in the West Division standings in 2025 with an 11-7 record and beat the Calgary Stampeders in the West Semi-Final before losing the West Final to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Nathan Rourke threw for 5,290 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions over 16 regular-season starts, posting an 11-5 record. He was also named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player.

The Lions ranked first in net offence, fourth in net defence, and sixth with a turnover differential of minus-four. James Butler rushed for 1,213 yards, Keon Hatcher led the CFL with 1,688 receiving yards, and Micah Awe led the league with 117 tackles. B.C. finished third in attendance with average crowds of 27,124, which was a 0.9 percent increase from the previous year.