Canadian Football League Career
Passaglia caught a 10-yard touchdown pass in his first CFL game on July 22, of the 1976 CFL season against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. His only other career touchdown came on a one-yard run in his final home game at BC Place Stadium, on November 4, of the 2000 season, again against the Roughriders. Between those two touchdown "bookends," Passaglia arguably became one of the most consistent performers in Lions', CFL, and professional football history.
Passaglia played the most CFL regular seasons at 25, the most CFL regular season games at 408, and scored the most points in regular season play with 3,991 points, all with one team: the BC Lions. Passaglia was the first player to score 200 points in a season (1987), with 214 points.
Passaglia holds many CFL regular season records including total points scored (3,991), most converts at 1,045 (560 consecutive—he missed only three), most field goals at 875 (of 1,203 attempted), best single season field goal percentage at 90.9% (40 of 44 in 2000, his final year of play), and most single points at 309. Passaglia is the second all-time CFL punt leader with 3,142 for 133,826 yards (behind Bob Cameron), with the second highest average in a season (1983 CFL season) of 50.2 yards (Jon Ryan had a higher average in the 2005 season). In CFL playoff games, Lui holds records for most points with 210, is tied for most field goals with 48, and has the longest recorded punt of 89 yards.
As a Lion, Lui was named a CFL Western Division All-Star nine times, and was a CFL All-Star four times (1979, 1983, 1984, and 2000 seasons). Passaglia was a member of three of the Lions' Grey Cup seasons (1985, 1994, and 2000 seasons), winning the Dick Suderman Trophy as the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian twice (73rd Grey Cup and 82nd Grey Cup). Passaglia is the longest-playing Lion in team history, appearing in a total of 408 games, overtaking Leos' great Al Wilson's previous mark of 233 games.
Lui retired from the CFL following the Lions' 28–26 88th Grey Cup victory over the Montreal Alouettes in the 2000 season, where he kicked the winning points in the game. In the 2003 season, Passaglia was voted a member of the BC Lions All-Time Dream Team, at the kicker and punter positions, as part of the club's 50 year anniversary celebration. In November 2006, Passaglia was voted #30 of the CFL's top 50 players of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN.
Passaglia's last-second field goal in 1994's 82nd Grey Cup game at BC Place, which clinched the championship for the Lions over the Baltimore Football Club, was named the greatest play in BC Lions history in 2007.
| Season | FGM | FGA | FG % | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 28 | 49 | 57.1% | 50 |
| 1977 | 40 | 53 | 75.5% | 48 |
| 1978 | 37 | 44 | 84.1% | 50 |
| 1979 | 32 | 45 | 71.1% | 50 |
| 1980 | 31 | 46 | 67.4% | 54 |
| 1981 | 27 | 40 | 67.5% | 45 |
| 1982 | 26 | 35 | 74.3% | 48 |
| 1983 | 43 | 59 | 72.9% | 52 |
| 1984 | 35 | 48 | 72.9% | 54 |
| 1985 | 37 | 55 | 67.3% | 54 |
| 1986 | 39 | 56 | 69.6% | 49 |
| 1987 | 52 | 66 | 78.8% | 49 |
| 1988 | 13 | 20 | 65.0% | 46 |
| 1989 | 37 | 51 | 72.5% | 53 |
| 1990 | 25 | 39 | 64.1% | 50 |
| 1991 | 44 | 59 | 74.6% | 54 |
| 1992 | 28 | 38 | 73.7% | 49 |
| 1993 | 25 | 47 | 74.5% | 52 |
| 1994 | 28 | 36 | 77.8% | 46 |
| 1995 | 45 | 62 | 72.6% | 49 |
| 1996 | 36 | 53 | 67.9% | 50 |
| 1997 | 35 | 45 | 77.8% | 50 |
| 1998 | 52 | 46 | 78.8% | 51 |
| 1999 | 30 | 47 | 63.8% | 47 |
| 2000 | 40 | 44 | 90.9% | 49 |
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