The only thing bigger than his smile was the passion Henry Burris had for the game.
Throughout 18 CFL seasons with four teams, Burris crossed paths with hundreds of players.
The list of receivers who caught passes from Burris is a who’s who of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and league all-stars. On the day he announced his retirement, we reflect on some of Burris’ favourite targets over his long and storied career.
Travis Moore
Moore played a role in Hank: The Early Years.
The two were teammates from 1997 to 1999 when Burris was breaking into the league as a quarterback with the Calgary Stampeders. They were re-united again for a couple of seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Things came full circle when Moore joined the Ottawa REDBLACKS’ coaching staff and Burris was quarterback.
“He was always a smart guy with a big, strong cannon arm,” said Moore, who spent 11 years as a player and was a coach with Hamilton, BC and Edmonton before Ottawa.
“Watching him mature even the first couple of years, you knew he was going to be something special.”
Travis Moore (top) fights for a ball during the 2004 CFL season (The Canadian Press)
Moore remembered Burris’s first training camp in Calgary.
“We were running five-yard drag routes,” he said. “He’s cocking back like he’s throwing the ball 70 yards.
“Allen Pitts grabbed Hank and said ‘hey, we’re five yards away from you man. Stop throwing the ball so hard.’”
Burris signed with the Riders in 2000 where he started 16 of 18 games and threw for over 4,600 yards and 30 touchdowns. After a three-year stint in the NFL and NFL Europe, Burris returned to the Riders in 2003.
Moore was traded from Calgary to Saskatchewan in 2003.
During the 2004 season, Burris started 16 of 18 games, throwing for 4,267 yards and 23 touchdowns. Moore was one of his favourite targets and finished the year with 72 catches for 1,025 yards and nine touchdowns.
Moore, who has spent the last three years as Ottawa’s receives coach, said Burris always remained committed to the game, both on and off the field.
“He still puts in the same time, even more time now, than he did as a young player,” said Moore. “He understands defences, he knows what he wants to do and he takes care of his body. When you see a guy like that who is willing to put in all that preparation . . . and be a student of the game and not just a great athlete, you can see why he has done what he’s done.
“Watching him in 1997 when he first came in, to watching him in 2016 . . . all you can say is wow.”
Jeremaine Copeland
Burris and Copeland played for the Stampeders for five seasons beginning in 2005. They were part of Calgary’s 2008 Grey Cup Champion team.
During that period, Copeland had over 1,000 receiving yards three times and twice was Burris’s top target. In 2007, Copeland had 67 catches for 1,110 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was Calgary’s top receiver again in 2009, making 81 catches for 1,235 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Henry Burris’ top receivers: 2000-2016
| YEAR (TEAM) | YARDS | REC1 | REC2 |
| 2000 (SSK) | 4,647 | Curtis Marsh (1,560) | Eric Guliford (1,084) |
| 2004 (SSK) | 4,267 | Travis Moore (1,046) | Jason French (822) |
| 2005 (CGY) | 4,290 | Nik Lewis (1,379) | Jeremaine Copeland (1,211) |
| 2006 (CGY) | 4,435 | Nik Lewis (1,114) | Jeremaine Copeland (978) |
| 2007 (CGY) | 4,279 | Jeremaine Copeland (1,110) | Nik Lewis (1,101) |
| 2008 (CGY) | 5,094 | Ken-Yon Rambo (1,473) | Nik Lewis (1,109) |
| 2009 (CGY) | 4,831 | Jeremaine Copeland (1,235) | Nik Lewis (1,013) |
| 2010 (CGY) | 4,944 | Nik Lewis (1,262) | Ken-Yon Rambo (1,172) |
| 2011 (CGY) | 3,687 | Nik Lewis (1,209) | Johnny Forzani (761) |
| 2012 (HAM) | 5,356 | Chris Williams (1,298) | Andy Fantuz (971) |
| 2013 (HAM) | 4,927 | Bakari Grant (947) | Andy Fantuz (896) |
| 2014 (OTT) | 3,728 | Marcus Henry (824) | Wallace Miles (732) |
| 2015 (OTT) | 5,693 | Chris Williams (1,214) | Greg Ellingson (1,061) |
| 2016 (OTT) | 2,419 | Greg Ellingson (1,260) | Chris Williams (1,246) |
When Copeland retired from the CFL in 2012, he made special mention of both Burris and Anthony Calvillo as quarterbacks “who helped make my career what it was.”
Nik Lewis was also a favourite target of Henry’s, piling up 8,187 yards during his seven seasons with Burris as his quarterback.
Copeland weighed in with 5,298 yards throughout five seasons with Hank.
Andy Fantuz
Burris spent two seasons in Hamilton, leading the Tiger-Cats to the 2013 Grey Cup, which they lost to Saskatchewan.
Fantuz was Burris’s second-leading receiver in both those seasons. In 2012, he had 72 catches for 971 yards and eight touchdowns. In 2013, Fantuz had 65 catches for 896 yards and three TDs.
In a past interview with TSN, Fantuz talked about Burris’s preparation.
“He puts in more work than anyone I’ve even seen,” he said.
Greg Ellingson
Ellingson and Burris first played together in Hamilton in 2013.
After joining the REDBLACKS in 2015, Ellingson and Burris wrote themselves a chapter in Ottawa sports history. They combined on a 93-yard-pass-and-run play that gave the REDBLACKS a thrilling 35-28 win over Hamilton and a berth in the 2015 Grey Cup.
Andy Fantuz (left) and Henry Burris (right) celebrate during the 2013 season (The Canadian Press)
Ellingson had a career-year last season, leading the REDBLACKS with 1,260 yards and four touchdowns on 76 catches. In Ottawa’s 39-33 overtime upset of the Stampeders in the Grey Cup, he had seven catches for 85 yards.
In an interview by The Canadian Press prior to the Grey Cup, Ellingson talked about Burris’s leadership skills.
“He’s been around the league a long time,” Ellingson said.
“You can look to him if you have any questions on and off the field. He’s a leader for us.”
