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Lui Passaglia (born June 7, 1954) is a Canadian former professional football player. He was the placekicker/punter for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL) for a record-breaking 25 years from 1976 to 2000, and scored more points in that time than any professional gridiron football player in history. He is a member of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame, and the BC Lions Wall of Fame. Passaglia's #5 jersey is one of nine numbers retired by the Lions. In 2003, Passaglia was voted a member of the BC Lions All-Time Dream Team as part of the club's 50 year anniversary celebration. In 2006, Passaglia was voted one of the CFL's Top 50 players (#30) of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN.
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 (or held) many CFL regular season records at the time of his retirement 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). The record he held for single-season field goal percentage has since been surpassed at least twice in the time since his retirement, with Paul McCallum originally breaking the record in 2011 and Rene Paredes coming a close second in 2012. In CFL playoff games, Passaglia 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, Passaglia 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.
Passaglia 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 placekicker 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.
By the time of his retirement, Passaglia had been a member of the Lions for over half of its then-47-season history. Consistently a fan favorite, home crowds consistently chanted his given name in a long drawn-out manner (such that it sounded like an extended "Loo...") whenever he came on the field, particularly when attempting crucial field goals.
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Passaglia has lived in the city of Coquitlam for over 20 years.Richard Stewart: Endorsements Retrieved on 15 March 2009
In 2006, Simon Fraser University granted him an honorary degree and he delivered a convocation address.
In 2014, Passaglia revealed that he was receiving chemotherapy for stage 3 colon cancer. By going public, he intended to fundraise for research and treatment.
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