Henry Burris Deserved to Go Out on Top

There's a common dream that every athlete has. None ever want to let go and retire, many even try to play until they no longer can. But the truly lucky athletes have the opportunity to leave on their own terms.

Henry Burris made his mark on football in Canada over the course of his 17-year CFL career and went out on his own terms Tuesday, as he announced his retirement at a press conference in front of his teammates and family, two months after earning his third Grey Cup championship and first with the Ottawa Redblacks.

The 41-year-old led the Redblacks to a stunning victory over his former club Calgary in the 104th Grey Cup, defying Father Time, as well as a knee injury he suffered prior to the game to beat the heavily-favoured Stampeders.

Burris will be best remembered for his time with the Stampeders from 2005-11, where he led the franchise to a Grey Cup title in 2008 over the Montreal Alouettes. Over the prime of his career, Burris often competed with Alouettes great Anthony Calvillo for recognition as the best quarterback in the league. Burris won his first MVP in 2010, and at the age of 40, won it for a second time in 2015, a fitting penultimate achievement for his storied career. He walks away ranked third all time among CFL quarterbacks in passing yards and touchdowns.

Like the grit and determination he showed against his former club in this past Grey Cup on his way to game MVP honours, his journey was a constant battle for greatness, ever since departing from Temple University after a storied collegiate career.

Burris began his CFL career in 1997 with the Stampeders and won his first Grey Cup the following season as the third-string backup behind starter Jeff Garcia. In 2001, following a three-year stint with the Stampeders and a single season with the Roughriders, Burris—like Garcia, who had departed for the San Francisco 49ers—set his sights on the NFL and signed with the Green Bay Packers, but ultimately never saw any action with the team.

Burris saw his only NFL action the following year with the Chicago Bears, but struggles relegated him to the Berlin Bears of NFL Europe for the subsequent season. He never made his mark in the NFL. There's a chance he wasn't made for the league, or just never found the right opportunity to shine, unlike his time in the CFL.

At 41, Burris retires as one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play in the CFL and has the opportunity to leave on top, a deserving and spectacular feat every athlete dreams about.