York Lions football

The York Lions football team has been in continuous operation since 1969 and are one of three teams currently playing in CIS football to have never won a conference championship. The other two teams, the Montreal Carabins and Sherbrooke Vert et Or, did not begin their current programs until 2002 and 2003 respectively. Their current head coach is Warren Craney, who became the team's head coach before the 2010 season.

The program has been one of futility, finishing out of the playoffs for the past eight seasons. While cross-town rival Toronto Varsity Blues used to be the OUA basement-dweller, their progression has sent York to the bottom of the standings, having won just one game in the past four seasons. After Queen's and Ottawa joined the OUA in 2001, the playoffs were expanded to include eight teams, meaning that the Lions would make the playoffs for four consecutive seasons. This format was discontinued after the 2003 season, so the Lions did not qualify for post-season play in 2005. In 2012, the Lions finished with a 2-6 record, the most wins for the program since 2005 and in 7th place, their highest finish in eight years.

Season-by-season record
The following is the record of the York Lions football team in the last ten seasons of play:

York Lions in the CFL
As of the start of the 2012 CFL season, three former Lions players are on CFL teams' rosters:
 * Andre Durie, Toronto Argonauts
 * Ricky Foley, Toronto Argonauts
 * Jeff Johnson, Toronto Argonauts

York Lions in national teams

 * 2013 Bart Zemanek, QB, Poland national team 🇵🇱