‘I am the best running back in the country’: Ethan Dolby aims to improve off historic season with Western Mustangs

Photo: Brandon VandeCaveye/Western Athletics

2027 Canadian Football League Draft prospect Ethan Dolby is confident in his abilities, and rightfully so coming off a historic season with the Western Mustangs.

“I do believe I am the best running back in the country,” Dolby told 3DownNation.

The St. Thomas, Ont. native rushed 136 times for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns along the ground over eight regular-season games in 2026. He set the Mustangs single-season rushing yards record, surpassing Tim Tindale’s 1,208 yards in 1991.

Tindale rushed for a program-record 16 touchdowns that year, and Tyler Varga recorded 15 rushing majors in 2011. Dolby sits tied for third alongside Sean Reade in program history with 14 in one season.

Tindale and Varga went on to play in the NFL. Tindale spent four years with the Buffalo Bills from 1994 through 1997, and finished his professional career in Chicago with the Bears.

Varga made the Indianapolis Colts 53-man active roster in 2015. He played three regular-season games, rushed one time for two yards, caught one pass for 18 yards, and returned six kickoffs for 151 yards.

However, the 2011 U Sports Rookie of the Year retired after suffering a devastating concussion in Week 3 against the Tennessee Titans. Meanwhile, Reade was selected in the second round, 13th overall during the 1996 CFL Draft by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

That’s the kind of company Dolby has put himself in at Western. What makes his 2025 campaign even more remarkable is the fact he suffered a broken leg and dislocated ankle during the last regular-season game in 2024.

It was the first play in his first career OUA start which saw him go down with a major injury. His rehabilitation process took eight months, but the long, hard recovery led to the “best offseason” he’s ever had in his life.

“I never knew the rushing record amount, I always assumed it was some crazy amount from either Tim Tindale or Greg Marshall or the other great running backs that we’ve had. My goals were to be an All-Canadian, break over a thousand yards, win as many games for my team as possible,” Dolby said.

“Especially coming off an injury, I didn’t know if there would be any hiccups during the regular-season, if I would have to miss time due to swelling or miss games because of how my body feels. But luckily enough, I had great trainers around me and great strength and conditioning coaches that pushed me a long my way and helped me stay healthy.”

Dolby has a new head coach entering the 2026 season, as Greg Marshall retired in December and Michael Faulds was hired in January to take the reigns in London, Ont. Faulds has a unique perspective on his star running back as he was on the opposition sideline last year at Wilfrid Laurier University, and now shares a common goal with No. 29 as the two wear Mustangs purple together.

“Ethan is a very patient runner, who presses the hole, sets up his blocks, and then makes a very decisive cut with an incredible amount of power. At six feet, 207 pounds, he’s got that combination of speed and power you look for. On top of his running ability, he also possesses all the skills necessary to be a great blocker and receiver out of the backfield,” Faulds said.

“With coach Faulds coming in, there’s going to be more moving pieces, and our offence is going to be a little more creative this year,” Dolby added. “I’m really excited to get the ball in space and show some other abilities that maybe I haven’t shown in years prior.”

The 2025 second-team All-Canadian admitted it will be hard to match the season he posted last year. If Faulds decides to take some workload off him to be healthier throughout the season, he understands the reasons why. That will be done with the focus being on winning as many games as possible, and as Dolby put it, “Hopefully hold some trophies along the way.”

Western kicks off the team’s 2027 regular-season at home against York on Sunday, September 6 at 7:00 p.m. EDT. You can watch the game live on OUA.tv.

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