BCLions.com Staff

VANCOUVER -- The BC Lions Football Club announced this morning that offensive lineman Dean Valli has signed a contract extension.

“Dean has quietly developed into a very strong force on the offensive line,” said Lions VP, football operations and GM Wally Buono. “This extension is part of our goal to maintain continuity on the line of scrimmage which is of tremendous importance to our team’s success.”

Originally drafted by the Leos in 2006 (1st round, 6th overall), Valli enters his seventh CFL season after a standout career at Simon Fraser University. The hulking offensive guard and North Vancouver native has played in 95 regular season games in addition to seven post-season appearances including four West Division Finals, one Eastern Final, one West Semi-Final and last year’s Grey Cup win.

“As a six-year veteran and a member of two Grey Cup-winning teams, Dean knows what it takes to win and I look forward to having him as a cornerstone of our offensive line,” said head coach Mike Benevides.