Henry Burris has been named interim head coach at Florida A&M University following the firing of James Colzie III.
The 50-year-old Spiro, Okla., native joined the school's coaching staff in 2024 as defensive backs coach and offensive coordinator. His son Armand is a redshirt freshman who caught 17 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns in 2025.
Florida A&M went 5-7 this season, and Colzie III finished his two-year coaching tenure with a 12-12 record. The Rattlers went 12-1 in 2023, winning the conference championship over Prairie View A&M and the Celebration Bowl over Howard University.
“Excellence is a standard that extends to every aspect of our institution—from academics and research to athletics and community engagement,” Florida A&M President Marva B. Johnson said in a statement.
“As the nation's leading public HBCU, we are committed to operational excellence in everything we do. Our football program and all Rattler sports are critical drivers of university pride, student recruitment, alumni engagement and institutional momentum. Success on the field elevates our entire university, creates economic opportunity for our region and inspires the next generation of Rattler scholars and leaders.”
“This change in leadership reflects our commitment to building on the proud heritage of FAMU athletics and its legendary superstars while transforming our programs to meet the needs of today's collegiate landscape, including competing in a dynamic recruiting environment shaped by NIL opportunities, and positioning FAMU at the championship level our community deserves.”
Burris got his first coaching job with the Chicago Bears in 2020 as a seasonal assistant. He returned to the team in 2021 as the offensive quality control coach and later became the offensive quality control coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. In 2023, he coached tight ends during training camp with the Los Angeles Rams.
The six-foot-one, 190-pound passer played 294 regular-season CFL games for the Calgary Stampeders, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Ottawa Redblacks. He threw for 63,639 yards, 373 touchdowns and 227 interceptions and remains the third-leading passer in league history.
Burris was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player in 2010 and 2015 and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 2020. He won three Gray Cup awards and two Gray Cup MVP awards.
Florida A&M competes at the NCAA Division I FCS level in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
