New FAMU football quarterbacks coach returning to alma mater to deliver graduation keynote

Giving back to the new generation is something Florida A&M football’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Henry Burris takes very seriously.

On Friday, the newly-hired Rattlers assistant coach will be at his alma mater, Temple University, to deliver the keynote address to the Klein College of Media and Communication’s graduation class.

Besides being a record-breaking quarterback at Temple from 1993-1996, Burris graduated from Temple’s Klein College in 1998.

“Both my wife, Nicole Burris and I attended and graduated from Temple and have been trying to find ways to give back and play our part to have whatever type of impact is necessary. Especially for the students,” Henry Burris told the Tallahassee Democrat before departing to Philadelphia.

“For a school that means so much to us, here’s an opportunity to go back and truly leave your impression and put your fingerprint on some different issues to shape the future and give the outgoing graduates some knowledge they can take with them to help them achieve success and impact the world moving into their future journeys.”

Growing up on a farm in Spiro, Oklahoma, Burris went to Temple, where he would ascend as a household name and Hall of Fame quarterback for the Owls football program.

Burris set over 20 records for Temple football, including single-game marks for passing yards (445) and total offense (502) versus Pitt during Burris’ senior season in 1996.

From there, Burris went on to have a 20-year professional career, primarily in the Canadian Football League, where he won three Grey Cups and is a member of the league’s Hall of Fame. Burris also had a stint in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears.

“No one would be where we are and having the success that we’re having in life without the help and support of someone else,” said Burris, 48.

“That’s one of our biggest attributes and traits ― we don’t just focus on ourselves. We need that ray of light of people coming to the workforce who now have an opportunity to impact their career, colleagues, and their version of the world. Imagine how many people we can impact if we do that one person at a time.

“Going to an institution like Temple is just like Florida A&M. It’s preparing you to be the best, go against the other so-called best, and take down the rest. These are the nutrients of life that will put you in a position to prepare you for the different things you’ll attack in life.”

Regardless of where life took him, Burris, who runs the Burris Foundation, always recalled a key to success that his college major, led by his professor Lew Klein, instilled in him as he shares a degree that produced the likes of Tamron Hall and Kevin Negandhi.

Communication is key.

“Lew Klein always had my back and would always talk positively,” Henry said, recalling memories of his college professor.

“Broadcast and communication set me up for several different things. As a quarterback, the most important quality we can have is communication. What’s the most important quality when running your business or a company spokesperson? Communication.”

Henry Burris enjoying role of overseeing FAMU's quarterbacks

Burris is responsible for leading FAMU’s quarterback room.

Announced as the Rattlers co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach last April, Burris immediately joined the team’s spring football training.

Burris arrived at FAMU after four years on NFL coaching staffs, most recently as the Los Angeles Rams’ tight ends coach in 2023.

Burris and first-year FAMU head football coach James Colzie III have a prior connection with Canadian football ties. Burris played in the CFL, and Colzie head coached St. Mary University’s football team in Nova Scotia.

Burris will be a part of the decision-making process of who will quarterback the Rattlers to succeed Jeremy Moussa, who participated in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie minicamp.

“I’m humbled and honored to be here with so many talented quarterbacks,” Burris said. “I’m able to bring a lot of the experience I’ve gained from my playing and coaching career and administer it every day into practice to help take these young men from whatever level they’re at to be the best they can be on and off the field.”

FAMU eyes a May 13 start date for summer workouts. Fall training camp begins on July 24, a month before the Rattlers return to the football field for the Aug. 24's MEAC/SWAC Challenge versus Norfolk State in Atlanta.

Coming from a family filled with Langston University alumni, Burris looks forward to immersing himself in HBCU football as FAMU looks to repeat as a Black College National Champion.

“When you invest into the game, that’s what you’ll get out of it,” Burris said. “If we go in and have relentless focus and win every day in the classroom and on the field, iron only sharpens iron. Repeating will be tough because we’ve gone from the hunters to the hunted, and everybody will be gunning for us.

“If we play with a steady focus and championship attitude on each play, things will take care of themselves.”

Florida A&M Rattlers 2024 Football Schedule

• Aug. 24 vs. Norfolk State in MEAC/SWAC Challenge, Atlanta*

• Aug. 31 vs. South Carolina State

• Sept. 7 at Miami

• Sept. 21 at Troy

• Sept. 28 vs. Alabama A&M

• Oct. 5 at Alabama State

• Oct. 19 at Jackson State

• Oct. 26 vs. Southern

• Nov. 2 vs. Texas Southern (HOMECOMING)

• Nov. 9 at Prairie View A&M

• Nov. 16 vs. Mississippi Valley State

• Nov. 23 vs. Bethune-Cookman, Orlando*

BOLD = SWAC

* = Neutral Site

Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University Athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU Football: Rattlers QB Coach Burris doing keynote for Temple grads