Henry Burris may not have a Most Outstanding Player award from the regular season but he now has a Grey Cup ring and MVP award.
Burris threw for 328 yards with one touchdown, leading all rushers with 79 yards and Sandro DeAngelis kicked five field goals as the Calgary Stampeders rallied for a 22-14 victory over the Montreal Alouettes in the 96th Grey Cup.
For his efforts, Burris was named the game's Most Valuable Player and showed his relief at losing the tag of being unable to win the big game.
''There was so many times I used to hear that song 'We are the Champions,' I never could listen to the whole song because I always wanted to be a champion,'' Burris told TSN after the game. ''This is what we fight for. This is what we go through the ups and downs for. Right now, it's like I'm living a dream.''
In front of 66,305 fans at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, DeAngelis kicked five field goals, connecting from 44, 12, 21, 30 and 50 yards out and took home Most Valuable Canadian honours.
"It's one of the best days of my life. All the hard work ever since I was a little kid to get to this point," the Niagara Falls, Ontario native said. "I'll tell you, I'm so happy to be a Calgary Stampeders right now. This is truly the most amazing day of my life."
Brett Ralph had the only touchdown for the Stampeders, hauling in a 20-yard pass from Burris late in the first half. Nik Lewis chipped in with 11 catches for 122 yards.
For the Alouettes, Avon Cobourne scored their only touchdown, a 16-yard run in the second quarter. Damon Duval was responsible for the rest of the scoring with field goals of 14 and 19 yards as well as a punt single.
Anthony Calvillo, who edged out Burris in voting for Most Outstanding Player for the regular season, threw for 352 yards but had no touchdowns and two interceptions. The loss dropped Calvillo's record in the Grey Cup to 1-5.
Jamel Richardson led all receivers with 123 yards while Ben Cahoon had 95 yards through the air.
"I don't even think I'm thinking right now. I'm just trying to wake myself up from this great dream I'm living right now," Burris added. "It such a surreal feeling. I really don't know how to think right now. But I'll tell you this. Whatever it is, it feels great."
The game got off to a slow start with one field goal representing all the scoring in the first quarter. Duval opened the scoring with a chip shot from 14 yards out. The drive was highlighted by a 55-yard completion from Calvillo to Richardson.
DeAngelis answered back in the second quarter with a 44-yard field goal to put the Stampeders back on even terms.
The Alouettes responded with the first touchdown of the game, a 16-yard scamper by Cobourne. The drive started with an interception by Reggie Hunt, giving the Alouettes the ball near midfield. The Alouettes drove the ball deep into Calgary territory before Cobourne found the end zone from 16 yards out.
"Give a lot of credit to Calgary, they came out, they fought hard and they found a way to win the game at the end, and I give them credit, they're a great team and we just couldn't figure out a way to finish the game with a win," Hunt said after the game.
Then, special teams standout Larry Taylor gave the Alouettes great field position again with a 42-yard punt return. Duval stepped up and made good on a 19-yard atempt to extend the Alouettes' lead.
Late in the first half, Burris found Ralph in the corner of the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown to close the gap and give the Stampeders some momentum heading to the locker-room. It was Ralph's only catch of the game.
"There is so much to say about my boys. We came a long way," said Ken-Yon Rambo, who led the league in receiving yards during the regular season. "I have been here with the Stamps for four years. The first three years were kind of bumpy. We took a step-by-step, game-by-game approach. We did it. We all came together as one."
In the third quarter, DeAngelis put the Stampeders back on even terms before Duval added a single to regain the lead for the Alouettes.
Burris put together a 75-yard drive, including runs of 14 and 29 yards for first downs, leading to the short kick from DeAngelis.
"Henry has made plays with his legs against Montreal during the regular season, and it was definitely part of the game plan," said Stampeders' head coach John Hufnagel. "We struggled offensively in the first half, it wasn't as much as not being able to complete passes, we just weren't getting enough yards to get first downs. All along we wanted to get the running game involved and Henry Burris in the QB position was a big part of the running game."
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Calvillo was intercecpted by Dwight Anderson as momentum started to swing in favour of the Stampeders. That led to another field goal by DeAngelis to give the Stampeders a five-point advantage.
"It isn't going to happen again, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we just let it slip through our hands," Calvillo said. "This is what you thrive for, to compete, to get a chance to play in this game and of course to win it and the record is not good on our side. It's never fun losing your chance, and it's going to make it a long off-season."
Midway through the frame, the Alouettes were threatening to regain the lead before an errant Calvillo pass was intercepted by Shannon James, quieting the Olympic Stadium crowd.
DeAngelis then connected from 50 yards out to extend the Stampeders lead to eight points and the Stampeders never looked back.