Wide receiver and slotback: 1967 to 1979
When the Lions acquired the rights to Jim Young from Toronto and Minnesota of the NFL, he started a career that would see him play 13 seasons and nearly 200 games at four positions. Known as “Dirty 30”, Jim brought a swagger and aggressiveness to the team that had been lacking since the early 1960s and the two Grey Cup appearances.
He led the team in receiving in his first nine seasons with the team as a halfback, slotback, wide receiver and tight end. Jim set the Lions’ all-time receiving record as a rookie and surpassed that total two more times before retiring in 1967. His mark of 1,362 yards in 1972 stood up the club record until 1981 and he still holds the club marks overall at 9,248 yards and 65 TDs. He is one of only two Lions to surpass the 10,000 yard mark overall and he dominated the Lions offense for many years despite playing with 23 different quarterbacks. He saw action in five playoff seasons for B.C. and still ranks as the fifth all-time leading scorer in club history at 410 points. Only two Lions have more than Jim’s total of 68 career TDs. Jim was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1991.
