Photo: Handout/Montreal Alouettes

The CFL has always been a passing league, but that hasn’t stopped running backs from racking up some impressive numbers on the ground.

Below are the top 20 CFL rushing yardage leaders of all time. Notably, while this list features the third-leading rusher in the history of pro football, it does not feature any active players. William Stanback of the Ottawa Redblacks would be closest with 5,589 yards, which puts him 35th all-time. Brady Oliveira of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers is three spots behind him with 5,480 yards.

20) Willie Burden – 6,234 yards

Burden is the first name on this list, but don’t get it wrong — his resume is stacked. The Longwood, N.C., native had a fantastic year in 1975, rushing for the third-most rushing yards in a season with 1,896, which was good enough for the third-most rushing yards per game throughout a season (118.5). Those numbers were good enough for Burden to claim the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player award.

19) Lovell Coleman – 6,566 yards

The one-time CFL M.O.P. winner had a fantastic stretch of years in the mid-60s. Between 1963 and 1965, the Hamtramck, Mich., native averaging nearly 1,500 yards per year across those three seasons, being named All-CFL and the Calgary Stampeders’ nominee for M.O.P. in all three. He also holds the record for most rushing yards in a game with 224, which was set in 1965.

18) Robert Drummond – 6,706 yards

The native of Apopka, Fla., is a Grey Cup winner and MVP, accomplishing both feats in 2000. Drummond also received All-CFL honours in 1996 and 1997, while adding an extra division all-star nod to his resume in 1999. All told, he played nine years north of the border with the Baltimore Stallions, Toronto Argonauts, and B.C. Lions.

17) Troy Davis – 6,739 yards

Davis played the second-least number of years in the CFL on this list (seven), but still comes in at 17. Spending time in Hamilton, Edmonton, and Toronto, he is a three-time East Division all-star, all coming while a member of the Tiger-Cats. The Miami, Fla., native also holds the Ticats’ record for most rushing yards in a season with 1,628 set in 2004.

Photo: Calgary Stampeders

16) Jon Cornish – 6,844 yards

One of three Canadians on this list, Cornish is one of the best national football players to play north of the border. The New Westminster, B.C., native is a three-time Most Outstanding Canadian and had a particularly fantastic year in 2013, rushing for 1,813 yards — the most ever by a Canadian in a single season and fourth-most all-time — en route to a Most Outstanding Player award.

15) Earl Lunsford – 6,994 yards

Lunsford only played six seasons north of the border, all coming with the Stampeders, but rushed over 1,000 yards in five of them. The native of Stillwater, Okla., has the fifth-most rushing yards in a single season in league history with 1,794 and is also tied for the most rushing touchdowns in a single game with five. Lunsford was a one-time All-CFL pick.

14) Dick Shatto – 7,007 yards

The first member on the list with over 7,000 yards, Shatto spent 12 years in the CFL, all with the Argonauts. Though the Springfield, Ohio, native never won a Most Outstanding Player award, he was Toronto’s M.O.P. nominee for eight seasons and was a finalist in both 1958 and 1964. Shatto is also a member of the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.

13) Jim Evenson – 7,060 yards

Like Lunsford, Evenson didn’t play very many years in the CFL but was extremely effective in the ones he did. The Hillsboro, Ore., native played seven years north of the border with the Lions and Ottawa Rough Riders, rushing for over 1,000 yards in a season four times. Evenson is a two-time CFL all-star, receiving the honour in 1970 and 1971 while becoming B.C.’s M.O.P. nominee in those years, as well as in 1968.

12) Tracy Ham – 8,043 yards

It’s wild to be in the top 12 in both career passing yards and rushing yards, but here Ham is. The Gainesville, Fla., native was one of the best dual-threat pivots the CFL has ever seen, also throwing for the tenth-most passing yards of all-time with 40,534 yards. The one-time M.O.P. also holds the record for most rushing yards in a season by a quarterback with 1,096 in 1990.

11) Dave Thelen – 8,463 yards

Thelen, who was also drafted into the MLB, is one of the best backs in CFL history. He played nine years in the league with Ottawa and Toronto, rushing for 1,000 yards in a season three times. The Hall of Famer was the league’s leading rusher in 1960 and the East Division leader in 1959 and 1965. Thelen also holds the record for fourth-most rushing yards per game throughout a season all-time (117.3), which he accomplished in 1960.

Photo: Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

10) Leo Lewis – 8,861 yards

Lewis played 11 seasons in the three-down league, all of which came with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He competed in six Grey Cups, winning four as part of a dynasty alongside all-time greats like Bud Grant and Kenny Ploen. The Des Moines, Iowa, native holds one of the highest career yard-per-carry averages on this list with 6.6 and was named All-CFL and Grey Cup MVP in 1962.

9) Normie Kwong – 9,022 yards

The second Canadian on this list, Kwong terrorized the league throughout the 50s. The Calgary, Alta., native played 13 years in the CFL, all in his home province with Calgary and Edmonton. Kwong had 1,000-yard seasons four times in a row while leading the West Division in 1951, 1955, and 1956. He also ran for the third-most yards by a Canadian in a season with 1,437 in 1956. Kwong is a member of the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

8) Joffrey Reynolds – 9,213 yards

The former Stampeder was the best running back not only in the West Division but the entire CFL throughout the mid-to-late 2000s. The Tyler, Tex., native played all eight of his seasons north of the border in Calgary, collecting six-straight All-West Division nods from 2005 to 2010. Reynolds also received All-CFL selections four times, was an M.O.P. finalist in 2009, and rushed for over 1,000 yards six times — the fourth most all-time.

7) Kelvin Anderson – 9,340 yards

Another fantastic Stampeders running back, Anderson played eight seasons in the CFL — seven in Calgary before one final year in B.C. The two-time M.O.P. finalist (1998, 2001) rushed for over 1,000 yards every single season he played, adding up to the third-most all-time. The 1996 Most Outstanding Rookie was named All-West Division five times and All-CFL three times.

6) Charles Roberts – 10,285 yards

The native of Montclair, Calif. is the first of six members of the CFL’s 10,000-yard rushing club. Roberts native played eight seasons in the league, the first seven in Winnipeg and the final one in B.C. The Hall of Famer was named All-CFL every year he was a Bomber — seven straight seasons from 2001 to 2007. He was also a four-time M.O.P. nominee for Winnipeg and named a division finalist in 2006.

Photo courtesy: Ted Pritchard/Rattleboxmultimedia.ca/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

5) Andrew Harris – 10,380 yards

The Winnipeg, Man., native played 13 seasons across three CFL teams — the Lions, Bombers, and Argonauts. Harris is a five-time Grey Cup champion, two-time Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian, one-time Grey Cup Most Valuable Player, five-time All-CFL selection, and a six-time All-West Division selection. In his final season, he surpassed Roberts to become fifth all-time in rushing yards.

4) Johnny Bright – 10,909 yards

The Fort Wayne, Ind., native’s name is littered throughout the CFL record books, especially in playoff statistics. Bright participated in four Grey Cups, winning three, and has the most CFL playoff touchdowns ever with 20. The Most Outstanding Player was the league’s leading rusher three years straight during the 1950 and carried for over 1,000 yards five seasons in a row. Bright also has the fourth-most 100-yard rushing games ever with 36.

3) Damon Allen – 11,920 yards

Damon Allen, a career quarterback, ranks top-three in both passing and rushing yards all-time. While running for nearly 12,000 on the ground, Allen also threw for a whopping 72,381 yards — the second-most all-time. The four-time Grey Cup champion and one-time M.O.P. was pro football’s all-time leading passer at the time of his retirement in 2007.

2) George Reed – 16,116 yards

Reed is one of the most recognizable names in league history with his name now on the CFL’s M.O.P. award. The Vicksburg, Miss., native played 13 seasons in the CFL, all of them in Saskatchewan, and rushed for over 1,000 yards in 11 of them — the most all-time. Reed has the most rushing touchdowns ever (134), the second-most total touchdowns ever (137), and won one Grey Cup and one M.O.P. award.

1) Mike Pringle – 16,425 yards

The Los Angeles, Cal., native played from 1992 to 2004 with Edmonton, Sacramento, Stallions, and Alouettes, but is most known for his time in Montreal. Pringle has the record for the most rushing yards in a single season (2,065), while also owning five of the top eight single-season marks in CFL history. The seven-time All-CFL selection also has the most yards from scrimmage in history with 20,255, won two Grey Cups, and two M.O.P. awards. Pringle has the record for most rushing touchdowns in a season (19) and the most 100-yard rushing games ever (73).