FRIDAY CAT COUNTRY COMMENTARY – A LOOK AT HENRY BURRIS

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary at 9:50 am and 5:20 pm on Cat Country 98 FM)

LET’S TAKE A MINUTE AND DISCUSS THE CAREER OF CANADA’S NEWEST FOOTBALL HALL OF FAMER, HENRY BURRIS.

THE FORMER ROUGHRIDERS QUARTERBACK HEADLINES THE INDUCTION CLASS FOR THE CANADIAN FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME, WHICH WAS ANNOUNCED THURSDAY.

A LOT OF TIMES WHEN YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT HALL OF FAMERS, IT INCLUDES RATTLING OFF A LIST OF STATS, CAREER PERCENTAGES AND GREY CUP APPEARANCES. I DON’T NEED TO LOOK THAT UP WITH HENRY .. IN FACT I COULD PROBABLY RECITE THEM BY HEART.

BUT HENRY BURRIS’S STORY IS ABOUT SO MUCH MORE THAN STATS.

HE SHOWED UP IN CALGARY IN 1997 AFTER A STAR CAREER AT TEMPLE UNIVERSITY IN PHILADELPHIA – A FIND OF ROY SHIVERS – AND WOULD EVENTUALLY FOLLOW SHIVERS TO SASKATCHEWAN IN 2000. THAT’S WHERE HENRY AND I WOULD FORGE A FRIENDSHIP THAT’S LASTED 20 YEARS, AND HAS HAD ITS OWN UPS AND DOWNS.

THE STORIES ARE TRUE. BURRIS WOULDN’T LEAVE THE FIELD AT CAMP IN SASKATOON OR PRACTICE IN REGINA WITHOUT SIGNING EVERY LAST AUTOGRAPH OR POSING FOR EVERY SINGLE PICTURE. I’VE NEVER SEEN A GUY DO MORE FOR THE COMMUNITY THAN HENRY, A KID FROM THE FARMING TOWN OF SPIRO, OKLAHOMA.

ON THE FIELD SMILIN’ HANK WAS LIGHTING UP THE CFL FOR THE WOEFUL RIDERS, WHO WERE LOSING GAMES 55-TO-50. THEY WERE STILL LOSSES, BUT THE RIDERS WERE FINALLY EXCITING.

THAT LED TO CHANCES IN THE NFL, WITH GREEN BAY AND CHICAGO, INCLUDING A START FOR THE BEARS ON MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL. I WATCHED ALL THOSE GAMES ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT.

HENRY RETURNED TO THE CFL WITH THE RIDERS BUT BOUNCED AROUND WITH THE STAMPEDERS, TICATS AND REDBLACKS. SURE HE WON GREY CUPS, BUT HE ALSO CLASHED WITH SHIVERS HERE, KENT AUSTIN IN HAMILTON AND MARCEL DESJARDINS IN OTTAWA.

YOU’RE GOING TO SEE HENRY SMILING ON STAGE WHEN HE GOES INTO THE HALL OF FAME BUT WHAT I’LL BE THINKING ABOUT THE MOST ARE HIS STRUGGLES.

HE OVERCAME THEM AND BECAME A CHAMPION. THAT’S WHAT’S PUTTING HIM IN THE HALL OF FAME.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY ON CAT COUNTRY 98.