Henry Burris facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Henry Burris

Burris with the Ottawa Redblacks in 2016
Florida A&M Rattlers
Position:	Co-offensive coordinator & quarterbacks coach
Personal information
Born:	(1975-06-04) June 4, 1975 (age 50) Spiro, Oklahoma, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:	Spiro (OK)
College:	Temple
Undrafted:	1997
Career history
As player:
Calgary Stampeders (1997–1999) Saskatchewan Roughriders (2000) Green Bay Packers (2001) Chicago Bears (2002) Berlin Thunder (2003) Saskatchewan Roughriders (2003–2004) Calgary Stampeders (2005–2011) Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2012–2013) Ottawa Redblacks (2014–2016)
As coach:
Chicago Bears (2020) Seasonal coaching assistant Chicago Bears (2021) Offensive quality control coach BC Lions (2022) Offensive consultant Jacksonville Jaguars (2022) Offensive quality control coach Los Angeles Rams (2023) Tight ends coach (training camp) Florida A&M (2024–present) Co-offensive coordinator & quarterbacks coach
Career highlights and awards
3× Grey Cup champion (1998, 2008, 2016) 2× Grey Cup MVP (2008, 2016) 2× CFL Most Outstanding Player Award (2010, 2015) 2× Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy winner (2008, 2010) 1× Terry Evanshen Trophy winner (2015) 2× CFL All-Star (2010, 2015) 2× CFL East All-Star (2012, 2015) 3× CFL West All-Star (2005, 2008, 2010) CFL single game record for completions (45) (2015) CFL single season record for completions (481) (2015) 3× CFL passing yards leader (2012, 2013, 2015) 4× CFL passing touchdowns leader (2006, 2007, 2010, 2012) Tom Pate Memorial Award (2015)
Career CFL statistics
Pass attempts: 7,426 Pass completions: 4,638 TD–INT: 374–227 Passing yards: 63,227 Passer rating: 93.5
Player stats at PFR
Player stats at CFL.ca
Canadian Football Hall of Fame

Henry Armand Burris Jr. (born June 4, 1975) is an American former professional football quarterback. He is also a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Currently, he is the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Florida A&M.

Burris played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 1998 to 2016. He won three Grey Cup championships. Two wins were with the Calgary Stampeders in 1998 and 2008. He spent 10 years of his career with them. His third win was with the Ottawa Redblacks in 2016. After playing, he also worked as a sports broadcaster and football analyst for TSN.

Henry Burris won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award in 2010 and 2015. When he retired, he was third in all-time CFL passing yards and passing touchdowns. During his CFL career, he also played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He also spent time in the NFL with the Bears and Green Bay Packers. Before becoming a pro, he played college football for the Temple Owls.

Early Life and College Football

Henry Burris grew up in Spiro, Oklahoma. He was a talented athlete in high school. He earned four varsity letters in football, track, basketball, and baseball. In his senior year, he was named Oklahoma's Offensive Player of the Year for football.

Burris then went to Temple University. He set 20 passing records there. He finished his college career ranked second in Big East Conference passing yards with 7,495 yards.

College Playing Stats

Here are Henry Burris's college football statistics:

Professional Football Career

Henry Burris began his professional career in the CFL. He also spent some time in the NFL.

Calgary Stampeders (First Time)

Burris was not chosen in the NFL draft. So, he signed with the CFL's Calgary Stampeders in 1997. He spent the 1997 season on the team's practice squad.

In 1998, he played a little bit, helping out Jeff Garcia and Dave Dickenson. In 1999, he got more playing time as a backup. He even led the Stampeders to a comeback win against the Edmonton Eskimos. He started the next two games but got injured in the third quarter of the second game. He missed the rest of the season with a torn knee ligament.

Saskatchewan Roughriders (First Time)

After his injury, Burris moved to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2000. This was his first chance to be a full-time starting quarterback. He started 16 games and threw for 4,647 yards and 30 touchdowns.

Green Bay Packers

After his great CFL season, the Green Bay Packers in the NFL became interested. They signed him in 2001. Burris spent several weeks as the Packers' third-string quarterback. He did not play in any games before being released. He then spent the rest of the season on their practice squad.

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears signed him in 2002. He played in six games for the Bears. He completed 18 of 51 passes for 207 yards. He had three touchdowns and five interceptions. He mostly played in the last two games of the season. Even though his passing was not great, he showed good running skills for a quarterback. He finished the 2002 season with 15 rushes for 104 yards.

Berlin Thunder

In 2003, the Bears sent him to NFL Europe to play for the Berlin Thunder. He played well there. But Burris was not happy about being sent to Berlin. So, he decided to return to the CFL.

Saskatchewan Roughriders (Second Time)

Burris came back to Canada for the 2003 CFL season. He played in 10 games that year. He became the starting quarterback again in 2004. He started 14 games and led the Roughriders to the 2004 Western Final. They almost made it to the Grey Cup but lost in overtime to the BC Lions.

Calgary Stampeders (Second Time)

Burris with the Calgary Stampeders in 2006

In 2005, Burris rejoined the Calgary Stampeders. He led them to the Western Semifinal, but they lost to the Edmonton Eskimos. In 2006, he again helped the Stampeders reach the CFL playoffs. They hosted a home playoff game but lost to his former team, the Roughriders.

In the 2007 playoffs, the Stampeders faced the Roughriders again. Burris lost a close game, 26–24, to his old team.

In 2008, Burris won his first championship as a starting quarterback. He led the Calgary Stampeders to a 22–14 Grey Cup victory over the Montreal Alouettes. Burris was also named the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player. He was a finalist for the league's most outstanding player award.

In 2009, Burris led the Stampeders to a second-place finish in the Western Conference. However, they lost to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Western Division Final. This was his third playoff loss in a row to the Roughriders.

Burris led the Stampeders to the best record in the CFL in 2010 (13–5). He finished first in the Western Conference. But he lost to the Roughriders again in the playoffs, 20–16. He won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player award for that season.

In 2011, Drew Tate took over as the starting quarterback for the last three regular season games. Burris played as a backup. He returned to quarterbacking in the second half of the Western Conference Semi-Finals. However, he could not lead a comeback.

In January 2012, the Calgary Stampeders traded Burris to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Burris with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2013

In his first season with the Tiger-Cats in 2012, Burris had a fantastic year. He threw for 5,367 yards and 43 touchdowns. These were all career highs for him. However, the Tiger-Cats' defense struggled, and the team missed the playoffs.

On September 13, 2013, Burris reached a big milestone. He became the fifth CFL quarterback to throw for 50,000 career passing yards. He led the league in passing yards for the second year in a row. Burris led the Tiger-Cats to the playoffs. They defeated the Montreal Alouettes and Toronto Argonauts. But they lost to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 101st Grey Cup game.

Burris was released by Hamilton in January 2014. This happened after the team signed another quarterback, Zach Collaros.

Ottawa Redblacks

On February 4, 2014, Burris signed a three-year contract with the Ottawa Redblacks. The 2014 CFL season was Burris's toughest season statistically. He led the Redblacks in their first season to a 2–16 record. He threw the first passing touchdown in Redblacks history on July 3, 2014. He also led the team to their first victory on July 18, 2014.

Burris (1) leading the Redblacks on offense against the Calgary Stampeders in the 104th Grey Cup

Burris returned as the starter for the 2015 season. He was the only quarterback in the league to start all 18 games that year. With new coaches and players, Burris had an amazing season. On October 1, 2015, he set a CFL record for completions in a game with 45 passes. He also threw for a career-high 504 yards. On November 7, 2015, Burris set another CFL record. He had the most completions in a season with 481. He also led the league in passing yards. He led the Redblacks to a 12–6 record. In the Eastern Final, Burris led the Redblacks over his old team, the Tiger-Cats. This sent him to the Grey Cup for the second time in three seasons. Before the Grey Cup, he was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player for 2015.

Burris got injured in the first game of the 2016 season. He hurt his pinky finger. He was replaced by backup quarterback Trevor Harris. Burris returned early from his injury to play in Weeks 6 and 7. He later returned as the starter in Week 17. Ottawa finished the season with an 8–9–1 record. This was the first time a team with a losing record finished first in their division.

After a first-round bye, Burris led the Redblacks to an East Division Final victory. They beat the Edmonton Eskimos in a snowstorm. This sent the team to its second consecutive Grey Cup game. In the 104th Grey Cup, Burris played despite a knee injury. He passed for 461 yards and 3 touchdowns. He led the Redblacks to a 39–33 overtime win over the Calgary Stampeders. This brought the Grey Cup to Ottawa for the first time in 40 years.

On January 24, 2017, Henry Burris officially announced his retirement. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2020.

Career Statistics

Here are Henry Burris's professional football statistics:

• Games mean "Dressed For", not "Played In"
• Pro totals include CFL and NFL totals only

Playoff Stats

Here are Henry Burris's playoff statistics:

Grey Cup Stats

Here are Henry Burris's Grey Cup statistics:

Life After Playing: Broadcasting and Coaching

After retiring from playing football, Henry Burris started a new career.

Broadcasting Career

On February 21, 2017, Burris became a host for CTV Morning Live Ottawa. After two years, he left CTV but continued to work for TSN Radio. He was a football analyst for TSN and appeared on their CFL broadcasts.

Coaching Career

Burris began his coaching journey with the Chicago Bears in 2020. He was a seasonal coaching assistant. In 2021, he was promoted to a full-time offensive quality control coach.

In March 2022, Burris joined the BC Lions in the CFL as an offensive consultant. However, he left after only 10 days to take an NFL opportunity.

He then spent the 2022 season as an Offensive Quality Control coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars' offense improved a lot that year.

In 2023, Burris joined the Los Angeles Rams for training camp. He worked as a tight ends coach.

In April 2024, Burris was named the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Florida A&M.

Personal Life

Henry Burris is married to Nicole Burris. They have two sons, Armand and Barron. Armand plays AAA Hockey in Ottawa. Burris was granted permanent residency in Canada on April 28, 2017.

See also

• List of Canadian Football League records (individual)