OTTAWA — Henry Burris says he's ready to start a new chapter.

The star Ottawa Redblacks quarterback has officially announced his retirement at the age of 41.

He leaves the game after 20 pro seasons, 17 of them in the CFL.

The decision comes roughly two months after Burris led Ottawa to a stunning 39-33 overtime Grey Cup win over the Calgary Stampeders.

Surrounded by his family and teammates at a lunchtime news conference, Burris said while he'd been dealing with a lot of emotions, "this is a celebration."

Last year's Grey Cup game was a showdown between the two teams that finished atop the East and West Divisions.

It appeared to be a huge mismatch on paper as Calgary posted a CFL-best 15-2-1 record while Ottawa posted a lacklustre 8-9-1 record.

But despite suffering a knee injury in warmups, Burris orchestrated one of the biggest upsets in Grey Cup history, passing for 461 yards and three TDs while running for two other touchdowns.

The final pass of his illustrious CFL career was a an 18-yard TD strike to Earnest Jackson in overtime that provided the Redblacks with their winning margin and a CFL championship in just their third season.

Burris's heroics — he was the game MVP — also earned Ottawa its first Grey Cup title since 1976.