Courtesy Winnipeg Free Press:

He’s on the cover of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers media guide for the first time and already a slam dunk Canadian Football Hall of Famer.

And if the next few years unfold as Charles Roberts hopes, the Bombers’ little big man will add two giant nuggets to his already phone book-thick resume: a Grey Cup championship and Mike Pringle’s all-time rushing yardage record.

The only thing standing in his way?

“I know I’ve got at least two-three solid years left in me… as long as somebody is willing to keep me around when I’m 32,” said Roberts with a smirk. “I’m a pain in the ass sometimes for these guys.”

Yeah, you could say that. The man does have a little diva in him. But get him on the field on game night and feed him a healthy dose of the pigskin and he can create magic.

Roberts became the Bombers all-time leading rusher last season by moving past legendary Leo Lewis and into fifth spot on the CFL’s career rushing list. He’s 1,439 yards back of Johnny Bright for fourth place all-time.

But Pringle finished at 16,425 yards — just over 7,000 yards more than where Roberts, who is 29, currently sits.

“When I first started 16,000 yards seemed eons away,” said Roberts. “And you know what? 16,000 yards is STILL eons away. I mean, that’s a lot of yardage, dude.

“But I definitely want to get into third place in front of Damon Allen. I can’t finish my career with a quarterback having more yards than me.”

Catching Pringle is a lofty goal for Roberts who, just a few years ago, said he figured he’d retire by the time he was 30. But he’s been relatively injury-free — the two games he missed last season were the first because of injury in his career — and still gets a charge from going to work every day.

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