Quickly becoming one of Vancouver’s most anticipated annual events, the 2011 Orange Helmet Awards presented by Scotiabank took on a championship flavour as five Grey Cup-winning quarterbacks headlined the Night of Champions on Friday night at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Joe Kapp, Roy Dewalt, Danny McManus, Damon Allen and Dave Dickenson were on-hand to recount their days under centre for British Columbia’s most storied professional sports team. Each guiding the club to Grey Cup victories, the Fabulous Five took fans behind the scenes of five different eras of BC Lions football.

Now in its eighth year, the 2011 Orange Helmet Awards recognize provincial champions at all levels of amateur football as well as the Community Coach of the Year, Scholastic Coach of the year and Bob Ackles Lifetime Achievement winner. The dinner also acts as a fundraiser for grassroots football with more than $420,000 in donations collected to date.

The BC Lions congratulate the 2011 Orange Helmet Award winners

Here’s a look at each of the headliners for the 2011 Orange Helmet Awards.

Joe Kapp entered the CFL in 1959 and led the Western Conference in passing six times in a seven-year stretch. Kapp joined the Lions in 1961 following an early season four-for-one trade with Calgary and never missed a game over his six years with the club. He led the Lions to their first-ever Western title and to their first two Grey Cup berths including the historic CFL championship in 1964. Joe was the West’s Most Valuable Player in 1963, is a charter member of the Lions Wall of Fame, and his number 22 ranks among just eight honoured by the club. He was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1984.







Roy Dewalt joined the Lions in 1980 as a free agent and played 125 games for the club - more than any other quarterback. He was the second QB to lead the Lions to a Grey Cup, getting to two championship games and winning once in 1985. Roy is second on the club’s all-time passing list with 22,863 yards and 129 TD passes and led the team for six straight years. Dewalt was a 1987 Western All-Star and was enshrined on the Lions’ Wall of Fame in 2003. He is best remembered for his dynamic partnership with receiver Mervyn Fernandez and the BC powerhouse teams of the 1980’s.








Danny McManus spent three of his 17 CFL seasons with the Lions and was a key member of the 1994 Grey Cup-winning team. Danny’s last second TD pass to Darren Flutie in the snow at Calgary in the 1994 Western Final is always remembered as a key moment in Lions’ history. McManus ultimately played in six Grey Cup games in his career with four different clubs and ranks third all-time with 53,255 passing yards and 3,640 completions.









Pro football’s all-time leading passer (72,381 yards) spent seven seasons in a BC uniform and led the club to the 2000 Grey Cup win over Montreal. Damon played 120 games at quarterback for the Lions and ranks as the club’s number one passer all-time with more than 27,000 yards and 136 TDs. Allen spent 23 seasons in the CFL, playing 370 games for six different clubs and seeing action in five Grey Cup games where he was named MVP three times.








Dave Dickenson spent five seasons with the BC Lions after signing as a free agent in 2003. Over his career with the club, the Lions’ record was 63-26-1 with four consecutive first place finishes and two Grey Cup berths. Dickenson was named the Grey Cup’s Most Valuable Player in 2006 as BC defeated Montreal 25-14 for their most recent title. Dave ranks as the club’s fourth all-time leading passer, was named to the West Division All-Star squad twice, won two divisional MVP Awards and earned the 2000 CFL Most Outstanding Player Award. Dave spent nine seasons as a player in the CFL, starting with Calgary in 1997 where he teamed with Lions general manager and head coach Wally Buono.