The B.C. Lions have touched down in Jay Christensen’s backyard, bringing his football career full circle.
Forced out of Vancouver’s BC Place by the FIFA World Cup, the Lions (0-2) will look for their first win in a temporary home at Kelowna’s Apple Bowl.
The Lions host the also winless Calgary Stampeders (0-2) on Saturday before facing the unbeaten Edmonton Elks (3-0) next weekend, with Christensen watching as an alumnus of all three CFL clubs.
“(I have) a lot of fond memories from everywhere I played, but B.C. will always hold my heart because I was from Vancouver and played in the Okanagan,” said Christensen, whose family moved to Kelowna when he was 12.
He went on to star for the Okanagan Sun junior football team before going pro.
Christensen started his career with the Stampeders, enjoyed his greatest individual success with the Lions, and went on to win a Grey Cup championship with Edmonton in 1993 during his eighth of 10 CFL seasons as a slotback.
He retired as an Ottawa Rough Rider in 1995, finishing with 21 receiving touchdowns and more than 3,600 yards on 248 catches as a target for Hall of Fame quarterbacks Doug Flutie and Damon Allen.
After retiring, he returned to the Okanagan and coached the Sun for a decade, reaching three straight Canadian Bowls and winning a national championship in 2002.
The 62-year-old still serves as a director at large on the club’s board and is nearing retirement from Valley First Credit Union, where he specializes in tax and estate planning.
Back where it all began at the Apple Bowl, the games will be a family affair, with both of Christensen’s children now married and his son bringing two granddaughters to his old stomping grounds.
“I am looking forward to it. A lot of family, friends and even former teammates will be here,” he said. “It’ll be exciting for me to show that off, where my background was and just the football culture we have here.”
The Okanagan Sun will also be represented on the field by B.C.’s Jacob Bond and Calgary’s Kelon Thomas. The two were teammates in 2022, when Thomas was named the B.C. Football Conference’s outstanding defensive lineman. Bond earned BCFC defensive player of the year honours in 2024 as a linebacker, but is now listed as a fullback with the Lions.
“He’s just a good athlete,” Christensen said of the 23-year-old from Terrace, B.C. “He’ll get a lot of playing time on special teams, as a blocker (on returns) and a tackler on the cover teams. He’ll be a stalwart there.”
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But will Bond get any touches out of the backfield in Week 3?
“Getting a win is going to be paramount,” said Christensen. “I would think that the coach, probably in the back of his mind, is like ‘if we get way up, it would be fun to hand him the ball a couple times and listen to the crowd.’ But that would be down his list of priorities, I’m sure.”
Christensen is also sure that Bond will make an impact off the field for the Lions.
“There’s not a nicer young man out there. He’s going to be that type of guy who is great in the community, he’ll inspire kids in high schools and be a good role model, and just get people excited about the football team again.”
There is no shortage of excitement in the Okanagan city, with tailgating and entertainment planned over the next two weeks. The Apple Bowl, a community stadium normally home to local football and track and field, has been expanded to accommodate more than 20,000 fans, up from its regular capacity of 2,314.
“To me, that’s the most amazing thing, is to see the finished product,” Christensen said. “I had doubts that they could pull it off, but now you see the Apple Bowl, and it’s like ‘holy cow, that looks good.’
Between playing and coaching hundreds of games on that field, it doesn’t even resemble it. It’s fantastic and everyone in town is talking about it.”
And that buzz should benefit the Lions, firing them up and potentially fuelling their first victory of the season.
“They’re going to come up here and hopefully feed off the energy,” Christensen said. “They’re not going to be able to go anywhere without people cheering and talking to them and getting autographs.
It’ll be an exciting time for the players as well, just to feel that, and hopefully that motivates them a little bit on the field.”
EXTRA POINTS
Kelowna has hosted a string of major events over the past year, including the Brier, the Canadian Country Music Awards, the Memorial Cup and HOOPFEST. The city will also stage the B.C. Summer Games from July 22-26.
“It’s been a crazy year for the city, events-wise,” Christensen said.
In addition to Christensen and Bond, several Okanagan Sun alumni have gone on to play for the Lions over the years, including Super Bowl champion and CFL all-star Mo Elewonibi, kicker Steven Shott and running back Elelyon Noa.
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