Elimimian's No. 56 to be retired by Lions during Gravy Bowl
Published
Solomon Elimimian will have his number 56 retired by the BC Lions, along with an induction to the team's Wall of Fame, on Saturday, Oct. 4.
The ceremony takes place during the "Gravy Bowl" game against the Calgary Stampeders.
“What a great honour it is to join such a distinguished and incredible list of legends by having my number retired by the BC Lions, alongside the greatest to ever play for the fans in Vancouver,” Elimimian said in a press release.
“Many thanks go out to God, my family, friends, former teammates and former coaches. I also thank Amar Doman and the BC Lions organization for making it happen. I’m excited to see you all on October 4th.”
Elimimian made an immediate impact upon signing with the club in 2010, winning the Most Outstanding Rookie award.
A 2011 Grey Cup champion, four-time All-CFL member, and six-time West All-CFL member, Elimimian made history in 2014 by becoming the first player on defence to win CFL Most Outstanding Player. It was during that season where Elimimian set a new CFL single-season record with 143 defensive tackles, a record he would break once again in 2017 with 144 defensive stops.
He also won the Most Outstanding Defensive Player award in 2014 and 2016, while once again was the Lions’ nominee for Most Outstanding Player in 2017.
The club’s all-time leader with 745 defensive tackles, Elimimian appeared in 125 games, including playoffs, in his nine seasons in BC.
Elimimian was also named to the CFL’s All-Decade Team in 2020 and inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame as part of the 2023 Class.
Following the Oct. 4 ceremony, Christian Covington will wear 56 for the remainder of the 2025 season before it becomes the final number retired by the organization.
Elimimian joins an exclusive list of Lion legends to be enshrined with an Honoured Number: including By Bailey (38), Norm Fieldgate (75), Willie Fleming (15), Joe Kapp (22), Jim Young (30), Alan Wilson (52), Lui Passaglia (5), Jamie Taras (60), Brent Johnson (97), and Geroy Simon (81).