Larry Burton

Lawrence Godfrey Burton (born December 15, 1951) is a former professional American football player and world-class Olympic sprinter, finishing fourth for the United States team in the 200 meter final at the 1972 Summer Olympic Games. He held the world record in the 60-yard dash at 5.9 seconds.[1][2]

Larry Burton
No. 80, 87
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1951-12-15) December 15, 1951
Northampton County, Virginia, U.S.
Career information
College:Purdue
NFL Draft:1975 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:44
Receiving yards:804
Touchdowns:7
Player stats at NFL.com
Larry Burton
Burton at the 1972 Olympics
Personal information
Height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight190 lb (86 kg)
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s)Sprint
ClubPurdue Boilermakers
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)60 yd - 5.9 (1972)
100 yd – 9.3 (1974)
100 m – 10.2 (1972)
200 m – 20.37 (1972)[1]

As a Senior at Purdue University, he finished his season with 38 catches for 702 yards (18.5 YPR) and 4 TD. He led the Big 10 in catches, receiving yards, and was 2nd in yards per reception.[3] He was named to numerous All-American teams.

Burton was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round (7th overall) of the 1975 NFL Draft; a wide receiver from Purdue University, he played in the NFL for five seasons for the Saints and the San Diego Chargers between 1975 and 1979. Despite having over 250 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons, he was never able to become a regular starter for any team.

Boys Town Career

In 1980, Larry, along with his wife Ida, became Family Teachers at Boys Town located outside of Omaha, Nebraska.

In 1992, after being Family Teachers, Larry became the Director of the Long Beach Shelter, where he worked until 2008.[4]

Larry said, "Many of the youth who come to our Long Beach Shelter are in crisis upon arrival. This is a safety net for them. Otherwise, their lives would be endangered for this is an emergency place."[5]

The Burtons earned the Civic Leader Award, given by the National Academy of Sports and Athletics.

Personal

In 2013, Burton was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.

He has 3 children, and Burton's grandsons, Clay and Trey, played football for the Florida Gators. Trey is a tight end for the Indianapolis Colts, and has been for the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Chicago Bears.

References
  1. Larry Burton. sports-reference.com
  2. "December 21, 1992".
  3. "Larry Burton". Sports-reference.com. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  4. ANDERSON, CHRIS. "Answering to a higher calling". Sarasota Herald. Retrieved 2017-01-04.
  5. Peter, Val (2015). The Rebirth of Boys Town. p. 186. ISBN 978-1-889322-32-2.


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