BC Lions have agreed to terms with defensive back Dante Marsh on a contract extension.  The veteran defender was set to enter the option year of his previous contract.

"Dante brings a veteran presence on the field that you need to succeed," said vice president of football operations and GM Wally Buono. "He is a big part of our team's core leadership and this extension is another step toward assembling a championship-calibre team."

Marsh enters his 10th season with the Lions and is coming off one of his most effective seasons notching 50 defensive tackles and three interceptions. Appearing in all 18 regular season games, Dante became the club's all-time leader in total tackles last year with 484. 

The two-time Grey Cup champion and three-time West Division All-Star has recorded at least 50 tackles in each of his past five seasons to go along with 26 career interceptions.

"Few players have enjoyed the type of consistent productivity that Dante has over the past decade," said Lions head coach Mike Benevides. "We're blessed with a veteran secondary made up of individuals who take enormous pride in their craft and Dante's work ethic has been his calling card since day one."