Toronto Argonauts running back Andrew Harris has become the first Canadian player to cross the 10,000-yard rushing milestone, doing so in an inauspicious fashion.
Harris entered his team’s Week 7 matchup with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in need of 75 yards on the ground to achieve the coveted mark. He crossed the threshold in the second quarter with a two-yard carry in the red zone but was held short of the goal line. The Riders stopped him again on third down, with Anthony Lanier forcing a fumble that Rolan Milligan recovered.
The Winnipeg native is currently sixth all-time in CFL rushing, with just Charles Roberts, Johnny Bright, Damon Allen, George Reed and Mike Pringle sitting in front of him. Harris is the top Canadian ball carrier in league history but still needs 6,426 more yards to break Pringle’s rushing record.
Equally dynamic through the air, Harris moved into fourth place on the all-time yards from scrimmage list last week, passing Hall of Fame receiver Milt Stegall.
A product of the Vancouver Island Raiders junior team, Harris began his 12-year CFL career in 2010 as a territorial exemption of the B.C. Lions. The 35-year-old later returned to Winnipeg to play for his hometown Blue Bombers, leading the team to back-to-back Grey Cups before departing in free agency this past offseason.
