The 7 best athletes in the history of the CFL revealed

Which CFL athletes have left their mark on and off the field?

The Canadian Football League (CFL) has over 60 years of sporting heritage. Following the merger of the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union and the Western Interprovincial Football Union, the CFL has become the pinnacle of Canadian football.

Although the CFL may still be overshadowed by the pomp and ceremony of the NFL as North America’s most lucrative football franchise, there are many fantastic athletes that have graced the CFL through the years. Seven of which we are going to pay tribute to now as arguably the best players in the story of the CFL to date:

1. Doug Flutie

Flutie is considered one of the CFL’s most gifted quarterbacks

Quarterback Doug Flutie came into the CFL in 1990 after a five-year spell south in the NFL. However, he would go on to play for a further eight seasons in the CFL and if played today would surely still be up there as one of the best in the league’s quarterback rankings. Flutie might not register at the head of the record books for touchdowns, but he does still hold a proud record of through the most passing yards in a single season – a whopping 6,619 in the 1991 campaign. Flutie was a box-office opponent in his pomp and such was the high standard of his performances that NFL franchises came calling for Flutie once again after ending his association with the CFL in 1997 after a one-year spell with the Toronto Argonauts.

2. Mike Pringle

One athlete that does sit at the top of the record books is former running back Mike Pringle. He is widely regarded as one of the sport’s finest running backs, full stop. His record of 16,425 yards positions Pringle as the CFL’s most successful rusher. Not only that, Pringle helped his team to success too, with three Grey Cups to his name and nine consecutive seasons of 1,000-yard+ rushes. Pringle certainly goes down as one of the best exports from the NFL to the CFL, having failed to graduate from the practice roster with the Atlanta Falcons.

3. Garney Henley

American wide receiver Garney Henley was one of the most celebrated and respected athletes in the early days of the CFL. After a starring role with Huron College, Henley was drafted in 1960 by NFL franchise Green Bay Packers. Yet soon after, he was traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of Ontario. Henley would go on to enjoy a glittering 16-year career with

the Tiger-Cats, becoming four-time Grey Cup winners. Henley was also a runner-up on three additional occasions in the Grey Cup. Having been a CFL All-Star for ten seasons, Henley was unsurprisingly inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame in 1979.

4. Anthony Calvillo

Anthony Calvillo was arguably the most methodical and clinical quarterback in the history of the NFL, racking up 73,412 yards throughout his career. He’s also out in front with the highest number of all-time passing touchdowns at 418. With that level of accuracy and attention to detail, Calvillo would have prevailed in other games where probabilities play an important role. Classic card games like blackjack require players to play the odds and angles, taking into account all the blackjack statistics to make informed decisions at the tables.

5. Damon Allen

Former quarterback Damon Allen is not far behind Calvillo as the most successful CFL quarterback in terms of passing yards, racking up 72,381 yards. Allen was a coveted athlete for over two decades of the CFL, eventually going on to play for six of the nine CFL franchises throughout his career. He remains third on the all-time list of most CFL games played, with 370 career appearances. Only recently, Allen was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, after signing off his CFL career with four Grey Cup winners’ medals and a 2005 CFL All-Star nomination.

6. George Reed

George Reed is yet another running back that is remembered in the same vein as Mike Pringle – one of the most powerful and dominant RB’s in the history of the CFL. Reed spent all 13 years of his professional football career in the CFL, signing for the Saskatchewan Roughriders back in 1963. He would go on to take the number-35 jersey for the Roughriders and such was his impact on the team that the franchise opted to retire his number following his departure. Off the field, Reed has also been a proud campaigner for the CFL Players’ Association, twice holding the position of President between 1972-81 and 1986-93 respectively.

7. Jackie Parker

Canada’s leading sports broadcasting network TSN named Jackie Parker their third-best CFL player of the modern-day era. Parker was in huge demand both sides of the border, with the NFL’s New York Giants and the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos both desperate for his signature. Despite the Giants offering significantly more in salary to entice him to the east coast, Parker opted to play for the Eskimos due to the chance to link up with his former college coach Darrel Royal. Parker was part of an Eskimos team that would win a hat-trick of successive Grey Cups in the mid-50s. Today, Parker still holds the Eskimos’ all-time record for the most rushing yards from a quarterback (4,713).

If the truth be told, we could have extended this nostalgic tribute to many more CFL icons. Worthy mentions to the likes of Warren Moon, Ron Lancaster and Allen Pitts should also be included, who also gave 33 years of combined service to our league in recent decades.