By Perry Lefko, Sportsnet.ca
Mike Pringle established himself as the most prolific running back in Canadian Football League history when he retired after the 2004 season with a record 16,425 career rushing yards and a single-season best of 2,065 in 1998.
Pringle had a reputation as a fierce competitor, who gave his absolute all on the playing field. He was also known as a warrior when it came to workouts.
Pringle is now based in Atlanta where he has some businesses, but still follows the CFL. He came to Canada earlier this year to help salute Winnipeg receiver Milt Stegall, who broke the record of 137 career regular season touchdowns that Pringle shared with George Reed.
In an interview with Sportsnet.ca, Pringle talks about recognition in the U.S., records, workouts and comparing his looks to Stegall.
Q: Do you still follow the CFL?
A: Some of the games I can get on Direct TV. Down here in the States we generally get the Friday Night game, particularly the early games when the season starts because there’s no football going on in the States. But when the NFL starts and college starts, we don’t get as many.
Q: Milt Stegall broke the record you and George Reed shared for career touchdowns (137). What were your thoughts on that?
A: It (the record) just kind of happened for me. Although grateful and very honoured to hold it, I have some more records that I’m just as equally proud of and that I think will last for a bit longer.
Q: Which ones are you talking about, the 2,000 mark?
A: The most talked about one is obviously the rushing record. That’s great. The one that I probably hold most dear is the one that most people don’t talk about and that’s the all-purpose offensive yards. I don’t know the exact number (editor’s note: it’s 20,254), but the fact I have 20,000-plus offensive yards, I’m most proud of that. To have more yards offensively than any other player aside from a quarterback, that’s huge. People just don’t acknowledge it because it’s not spoken of that much in the media, but that to me is my crown jewel.
Q: If you were living in Canada people would really know you because of what you did. Are recognized much in the U.S?
A: Obviously in Canada more than here in the States, people recognize me and (give) well wishes. Every time I go to Canada, that’s great. I can’t say enough about my time spent in Canada. When I’m here in the States, it’s a little bit different. People will recognize me to an extent when they know my name or things of that nature, but not as much as if I was in Canada. Strangely enough a lot of people will recognize me from my playing years and have heard my name. Because of the way the media is and the Internet and everything, you have access to so much information that more people will know of me.
Q: Are you looking forward to one day getting inducted into the Football Hall of Fame?
A: Yes, that’s something that’s another big honour. When you step away from the game and you’re no longer around it as much, you begin to appreciate these things a lot more. That’s something when I was young I put on my to-do-list, to make the Hall of Fame. I look back on a lot of the goals that I wanted to achieve and that was one of them.
I didn’t put CFL Hall of Fame, I just put Hall of Fame, and hopefully, if I’m blessed enough to be chosen in the Hall of Fame, that will be another goal.
Q: Milt Stegall is a workout fanatic. You had that reputation, too. Are you aware of what he does?
A: I’ve heard stories about Milt’s workouts. Harold Nash, who played in Winnipeg for a lot of years, is a good friend and he’d be going on about Milt’s work ethics, but I was very similar. I was a workout fanatic. That was something I thrived on, putting my body through as much as I could in the off-season and in-season to be in the best condition possible. It did a lot of things for me. It extended my career. To be a back that had my style of running, to be able to last as long as I did, you had to be in top shape. As long as you’re in good shape, when those third quarters and fourth quarters come around, as you’re getting your second wind everybody else is gassed out.
Q: Milt has an expression, "Cute in the face, thin in the waist." You ever heard that?
A: (Laughs). I could run all day. I lifted like crazy. I never missed a workout. Every day when I woke up, if I was tired or what have you, I would work out, regardless. I was very persistent. I was very determined in my workouts.
Q: Last question, who is prettier, you or Milt?
A: Oh me, definitely. You’ve gotta have a harder question than that.
