Damon Allen is the most prolific passer in CFL history. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)

A simple shovel pass to Arland Bruce turned Damon Allen into a football king.

The 29-yard touchdown flip gave Allen 70,566 yards for his career, making him the most prolific passer in professional football history, ahead of another CFL legend, Warren Moon.

Allen broke the record during the Toronto Argonauts' Labour Day contest against the hometown Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

He finished the game with 207 passing yards and 70,595 overall.

With his family and high school coach Steve Mariucci in attendance, teammates immediately mobbed Allen, who was then presented with the game ball by CFL commissioner Tom Wright in a brief ceremony.

"[The record] talks about so many people who supported me throughout my whole career," Allen told CBC Sports. "It starts with my parents and my brothers and sisters who instilled in me that I can do whatever I want to do.

"Over the last 22 years, I have had the honour and pleasure of playing in front of great fans across the CFL."

Unlike Moon, who left the Edmonton Eskimos after six seasons and went on to enjoy a Hall of Fame career in the NFL, Allen has spent his entire pro career, 22 years and counting, in the CFL.

Allen's decision to play in Canada has meant he has toiled in football obscurity when considered by those in the United States, but the veteran pivot has no regrets about playing north of the border.

"Every kid in the U.S. dreams about playing in the NFL . . . but you also learn there are other leagues out there," Allen recently said. "Regardless of what league you're in, the fact that I'm playing football was the ultimate dream.

"So, I'm living my dream, actually, playing the game of football."

Playing the game of football is something Allen has done with amazing consistency for more than two decades, dazzling opposing defenders with his passing accuracy and elusive scrambling ability.

A product of California State at Fullerton, Allen, like Moon before him, was overlooked in the NFL draft and signed with the Eskimos as a free agent in 1985. He saw limited action during his first two seasons in the CFL as a backup to Matt Dunigan, before garnering attention in 1987 when he threw 17 touchdowns.

Allen saved his best effort for the 1987 Grey Cup when he replaced an injured Dunigan and led the Eskimos to a thrilling 38-36 victory over the Argos. Allen was named the offensive player of the game.

A star was born.

Two seasons later, Allen signed with the Ottawa Rough Riders and established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Allen earned his first East Division All-Star nomination in 1991 when he threw for 4,275 yards and 25 touchdowns. He also rushed for a career-high 1,036 yards and eight touchdowns.

After three losing seasons, Allen left the nation's capital and signed as a free agent with Hamilton in 1992. Allen put up big numbers during his single season in Steeltown – 3,858 yards and 19 touchdowns – but the club traded him to Edmonton in the off-season.

Allen's second stint in Edmonton, the city where he began his CFL career, paid immediate dividends for the Eskimos: Allen threw for 3,394 yards and 25 touchdowns and was named the Grey Cup MVP as he guided the team to victory over Winnipeg.

But after the 1994 campaign, Allen was on the move again and he signed with the expansion Memphis Mad Dogs. Allen's time in Memphis would be short, as the club folded at the end of the 1995 campaign, marking the end of the CFL's comical three years in the U.S.

For the second time in his career, Allen found refuge back in Canada when he joined the B.C. Lions in 1996.

It was in Vancouver that Allen cemented his legend as one of the best quarterbacks in CFL history.

After three seasons with the Lions, Allen became the CFL's all-time leading passer during the 2000 campaign, surpassing Ron Lancaster's previous record of 50,535 yards. Allen finished the season by capturing his first Grey Cup with the Lions (and the third of his career).

Another milestone was reached in 2001 when Allen became the first CFL quarterback to rush for over 10,000 career yards.

Prior to the 2003 season, Allen packed his bags again when he was dealt to the Argos, his sixth CFL team. Most people thought Allen, then 39, was at the end of his career.

Allen led the Toronto Argonauts to the Grey Cup in 2004. He was named the game's most valuable player. (Tom Hanson/Canadian Press)

Instead, the ageless Allen found new life in Toronto, as he threw his 334th touchdown in his first season with the Argos, once again surpassing Lancaster's career record.

A year later, though, Allen's career appeared to come to an end.

Midway through the 2004 season, the 41-year-old Allen suffered a fractured left tibia and missed the next six weeks of action. But like so many times before, Allen showed incredible resiliency and eventually came back in the final week of the regular season.

Allen then silenced all the critics when he guided the Argos to two playoff victories before throwing for 299 yards and one touchdown in Toronto's 27-19 Grey Cup victory over B.C. For the second time in his remarkable career, Allen was named Grey Cup MVP.

Instead of walking away from the game on a high note, Allen decided to keep playing. It proved a wise move as the 42-year-old Allen had his best season ever in the CFL in 2005.

Allen surpassed the 5,000-yard passing mark for the first time in his remarkable career and tossed 33 touchdowns in leading Toronto to an 11-7 record and first place in the East Division for the first time since 1997.

Even though the Argos didn't repeat as Grey Cup champions, Allen won the CFL's most outstanding player award for the first time in his career.

In 2006, the incomparable Allen, at age 43, is showing no signs of slowing down.

Not bad for a quarterback who was shunned by the NFL.