The Canadian Press
Veteran CFL quarterback Henry Burris formally announced his retirement today–ending his career on top after leading the Ottawa Redblacks to a Grey Cup title last season.
The 41-year-old guided the Redblacks to a dramatic 39-33 overtime win over the favoured Calgary Stampeders in the CFL championship game–despite suffering a knee injury in the warm-up.
He threw for 461 yards and three TDs while rushing for two more en route to being named the game’s MVP.
Burris finishes his CFL career with three Grey Cups (1998 and 2008 with Calgary were the others) and two outstanding player awards (2010 and 2015).
He’s third in all-time passing yards (63,227) and TDs (374).
Burris also spent time in the NFL with Chicago and Green Bay (2001-02), and is the seventh-leading passer in professional football history with 64,023 yards.
Despite Burris’s Grey Cup heroics, the Redblacks had planned to enter 2017 with Trevor Harris as their starter–a move that reportedly contributed to Burris’ decision to retire.
Burris’s departure will leave Toronto’s Ricky Ray as the CFL’s leading active all-time passer with 54,883 yards.
But Ray, 37, also is pondering his future this off-season.
An endearing figure known for his ever-present smile and bubbly personality, Burris also has an edge.
The monicker of “Good Hank/Bad Hank” hovered over him throughout his career.
When he was on his game, there were few better in league history. But there also were times when an untimely interception or fumble contributed to a costly loss.
“He’s the type of person who likes to hear the negative things in order to motivate himself to do better,” said former Stampeders’ teammate Nik Lewis.
“He’s a pretty intense competitor, he wears his heart on his sleeve.
“He’s someone you know will give you everything he has,” Lewis added.
“I’ve always said when he’s on, there’s none better.”
“He’s intensely competitive and I don’t mean normal competitiveness,” said former Toronto Argonauts’ GM Jim Barker.
“Henry has this inner drive to him . . . I always felt like he played with a chip that he had to prove something.
“He doesn’t have to prove anything, I mean, the guy has won Grey Cups,” Barker added.
“But every time he was out, he came back from it . . . and did it with style and class.
“He was exactly what Ottawa needed.”
