Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-11 · by Gemma Karstens-Smith The Canadian Press
SURREY - Ryan Phillips shed some tears when he learned his name was being added to the B.C. Lions’ wall of fame.
asserted
name → shed → fame
The former defensive back was stunned to learn his name would soon be enshrined alongside players he holds in high regard, from legendary kicker Lui Passaglia and CFL Hall of Fame quarterback Dave Dickenson to record-setting receiver Geroy Simon and history making linebacker Solomon Elimimian.
asserted
he → stun → Simon
“Those guys have been the best in the CFL,” said Phillips, now B.C.‘s secondary coach and pass game coordinator.
asserted
guys → say → CFL
“So being in that category, for me, is nothing short of everything that you strive for as a player.
asserted
you → strive → player
“You’ve got individual goals, and that’s just the reality, right?
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that → get → goals
You want to win championships, but you also want to achieve greatness as a player.
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you → want → player
Phillips knows the emotions could bubble up again on Saturday when he and former Lions quarterback Travis Lulay have their names added to the wall.
uncertain
names → know → wall
His mom and sons — 20-year-old Ryan and 13-year-old Braylen — will be on hand for the ceremony, taking place during B.C.‘s game against the league-leading Montreal Alouettes.
asserted
mom → take → Alouettes
Being a Lions lifer is not a position Phillips expected to find himself in 21 years ago when he attended his first free agent workout with the team.
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he → expect → team
B.C. was coming off its 2004 Grey Cup win and the Eastern Washington alum knew he wasn’t a lock for the squad.
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he → come → squad
“When I see these guys, I’m like, ‘Man, these guys can run and these guys can do things at a very high level,’” he said.
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he → see → level
“But then, when you see yourself starting to make a few plays, you’re like, ‘OK, I can actually compete and I can actually play.’”
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I → see → plays
A quarterback named Buck Pierce was at that workout, too, and took notice of Phillips.
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quarterback → name → Phillips
Both made the team and spent the next several months learning the CFL.
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Both → make → CFL
“That year, getting to know Ryan, you could tell right away there was something different about him,” said Pierce, now the Lions’ head coach.
uncertain
Pierce → get → him
“I think just how he progressed every day and obviously his athletic ability …
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he → think → ?
He came in, worked extremely hard, got to know the system, fit in well with the team dynamics.”
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He → come → dynamics
Over the next 12 years, Phillips played 212 games for B.C., winning Grey Cups in 2006 and 2011.
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Phillips → play → 2006
He was named a CFL all-star four times, and is still the club’s leader in interception return yards (817) and sits fifth in defensive tackles (490).
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He → name → tackles
The Seattle, Wash., product had always been a high-energy, adaptable athlete, Pierce said.
asserted
Pierce → say → ?
“He was able to really just come into a situation where his athletic ability could be used, his versatility could be used,” he said.
uncertain
he → come → situation
“I mean, he was smart enough to understand how small professional rosters are, and that if he could play multiple spots, he’d be a guy that could help.”
uncertain
that → mean → spots
Phillips credits his mom, Sheryl Cox, with showing him the importance of adjusting on the fly during her years as a teacher.
asserted
Phillips → credit → teacher
“I think, honestly, my mom kind of moulded me that way,” he said.
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he → think → me
“She’s been the best role model and the best person that I could ever have from that aspect, and she put me in a position where I’ve been able to grow as a man.
uncertain
I → have → man
And I think that’s been tremendous for me and my growth as a coach, as a player, as a dad.”
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that → think → dad
Being open to change helped Phillips not only as a player, but when he finally hung up his pads after playing two games for Montreal in 2017.
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he → help → 2017
He returned to B.C. and worked in football operations, then spent 2018 on the Calgary Stampeders’ staff.
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He → return → staff
The pull to the West Coast was strong, though, and he soon returned to the Lions.
asserted
he → return → Lions
Now in his 19th season with the team, Phillips spent three years as defensive coordinator before transitioning to secondary coach in 2025.
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Phillips → spend → 2025
“I think you’ve always got to be able to adapt in every environment, right?
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you → think → environment
You’ve got to be kind of versatile in that sense, especially when you’re doing this profession,” he said.
asserted
he → get → profession
“Things could change at any moment.
uncertain
Things → change → moment
You could be on top of the world and the next minute now you could lose three games in a row and everybody hates you.
uncertain
everybody → lose → you
And then after that, now you’re the best thing in the world because you won four games again, right?”
asserted
you → ’re → games
B.C. (6-6) heads into Saturday’s matchup looking for redemption after falling 37-30 to the Alouettes (10-2) in Montreal last week.
asserted
B.C. → head → Montreal
The result snapped a five-game win streak for the Lions, who are eager to gain ground in a congested West Division where all five teams still have realistic playoff aspirations.
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teams → snap → aspirations
Phillips will be on the sidelines, talking tactics with his players — including defensive back T.J. Lee, his former Lions teammate.
asserted
Phillips → talk → Lee
Transitioning from being on the field to being a coach is difficult, Lee said, but Phillips has grown a lot since his playing days.
asserted
Phillips → transition → days
He’s been around as long as I’ve been playing in the CFL,” Lee said.
asserted
Lee → play → CFL
…and 13 more, not listed.
