HALIFAX — Getting the win remains the primary goal, but running back Andrew Harris will be chasing two career milestones Saturday afternoon.
Harris will lead the Toronto Argonauts into their TD Atlantic showdown with the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Wolfville, N.S. The 35-year-old Winnipeg native needs just 46 yards to surpass Milt Stegall and move into fourth in all-time yards from scrimmage.
Stegall currently holds down the No. 4 spot with 15,209 yards.
And with 114 yards rushing, Harris will become the first Canadian and sixth CFL player to reach the 10,000-yard plateau. The five-foot-11, 216-pound Harris remains the top rusher from Canada in league history and is 399 yards behind Hall of Famer Charles Roberts (10,285) for sixth on the league's all-time list.
All of which is nice and good, Harris says, but both milestones are secondary to Toronto (1-2) securing the win over Saskatchewan (4-1).
"It's definitely something that's there and definitely something I'm proud of," Harris said. "But I'm not really focused on it too much.
"I'm more focused on the game and finding ways to impact it and help my team win. That's all that's important to me."
This week, Stegall took to social media to comment about being passed by Harris, tweeting, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!."
Toronto head coach Ryan Dinwiddie, a former Winnipeg quarterback and teammate of Stegall's, had nothing but praise for Harris, a three-time Grey Cup champion and five-time CFL all-star.
"I feel like he's got better with age," Dinwiddie said. "Anybody who gets their name etched in the record books and that legacy . . . I talk a lot about legacy and he's got a lot to be proud of."
Harris began his CFL career with the B.C. Lions in 2010 and played six seasons before joining the hometown Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2016. He signed with the Argos as a free agent before the '22 campaign.
Harris won his first Grey Cup with B.C. (2011) before helping Winnipeg to consecutive titles (2019, 2021). Harris was named the top Canadian in the '11 championship game, then became the first player to win both Grey Cup MVP and outstanding Canadian honours in the same game (2019).
Harris was also named the CFL's outstanding Canadian in 2017 and has led the league in rushing three times.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2022.
Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press
