Evenson, Ivy round out Hall of Fame’s 2026 class

The Canadian Football Hall of Fame has announced that running back Jim Evenson and head coach Frank (Pop) Ivy will be the final inductees into its 2026 class. Both will be honored posthumously at the formal induction ceremony scheduled for September 17 in Hamilton.

Evenson, who played seven seasons in the CFL from 1968 to 1974 with the B.C. Lions and Ottawa Rough Riders, had a distinguished career. He achieved four 1,000-yard rushing seasons and recorded 19 games with over 100 rushing yards. Upon retirement, Evenson ranked sixth in career rushing yards with 7,060 and remains 13th all-time. He led the CFL in rushing in 1971 with 1,237 yards and amassed 8,207 career yards from scrimmage. Evenson was a two-time league all-star and won a Grey Cup with Ottawa in 1973. He passed away in 2008 at the age of 61.

Frank (Pop) Ivy coached the Edmonton Eskimos for a highly successful, albeit short, period from 1954 to 1957. His regular-season record of 50-14 gives him the highest win percentage (.781) of any head coach in CFL history. Ivy is one of only three coaches to achieve at least 10 wins in every season he coached. His 14-game regular-season winning streak across the 1954 and 1955 seasons is tied for the second longest in CFL history.

Ivy led Edmonton to finish first in the Western Interprovincial Football Union in each of his seasons, a feat accomplished by only five other coaches in at least four consecutive campaigns. He also guided Edmonton to their first-ever championship in his rookie season, which was the first of three consecutive Grey Cup titles for the franchise. Ivy died in 2003 at the age of 87. Evenson and Ivy will be inducted alongside receiver Brandon Banks, Canadian running back Sean Millington, defensive lineman Charleston Hughes, and linebacker Calvin Tiggle.