Leon Burton

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Leon Burton
No. 24
Position:Halfback
Personal information
Born:(1935-03-13)March 13, 1935
Flint, Michigan, U.S.
Died:October 7, 2022(2022-10-07) (aged 87)
Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Height:5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:172 lb (78 kg)
Career information
High school:Flint Northern (Flint, Michigan)
College:Arizona State
NFL draft:1958 / Round: 8 / Pick: 87
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Walter Leon Burton (March 13, 1935 – October 7, 2022) was an American professional football player who played 14 games for the New York Titans in one season of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960. He earlier played college football at Arizona State University.

Early life[edit]

Burton was born in Flint, Michigan, on March 13, 1935.[1][2] He attended Flint Northern High School in his hometown,[1] where he was a member of the football and track and field teams.[2] He then studied at Arizona State University,[1] where he played for the Sun Devils from 1955 to 1958.[3] He established the school's freshman record with 694 rushing yards in 1955 (a mark that would stand until 2003).[4][5] During the 1957 season, Burton led the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in rushing yards (1126), touchdowns (16), points (96), and yards from scrimmage (1320),[3] while setting an NCAA record of 9.6 yards per carry.[6][7] The Sun Devils ultimately finished that year undefeated (10–0).[6][8] He had the fourth-most touchdowns (11) and points (66) in the NCAA in the following season.[3] Burton received first team All-Border Conference honors in 1957 and 1958.[6][9] He finished his college career ranked first all-time in regular-season rushing touchdowns (34),[10] and second in rushing yards (2994).[9][11] He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the eighth round (87th overall) of the 1958 NFL Draft.[1]

Professional career[edit]

Burton was released by the 49ers on account of his size and subsequently joined the Toronto Argonauts for one season.[2][12] He then signed with the New York Titans and made his AFL debut with the franchise on September 11, 1960, at the age of 25, in a 27–3 win against the Buffalo Bills.[13] He recorded the longest kickoff return in franchise history at 101 yards in a game against the Oakland Raiders on October 28 that year,[14][15] which was ultimately the second-longest kickoff return in the league that year.[1] He later became the first Titans player to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in a single season.[16] Burton led the AFL in kick returns (30), kick return yards (862), and kick and punt returns (42), while finishing second in kick and punt return yards (955), fifth in punt returns (12), and ninth in punt return yards (93).[1] He went on to play for the Grand Rapids Blazers of the United Football League.[2][12]

Honors[edit]

Burton was inducted into his alma mater's Sports Hall of Fame in 1978.[6][9] He was later recognized in ASU's Ring of Honor in October 2013.[17][18]

Personal life[edit]

Burton's first marriage was to Ellen Marie Collins, who he met in high school, and together they had four children. [2]

Burton died in his sleep on October 7, 2022, in Las Vegas. He was 87 years old.[2]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Jon Brittenum Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "W. Burton Obituary". The Grand Rapids Press. October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022 – via Legacy.com.
  3. ^ a b c "Leon Burton College Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  4. ^ Coro, Paul (November 29, 2003). "'Solid Players' Become Standouts – Hagan, Wade Make Impact". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix. p. C8. ProQuest 238339852. Retrieved October 16, 2022 – via ProQuest.
  5. ^ Metcalfe, Jeff (December 5, 2008). "Territorial Cup Rewind". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix. p. C4. ProQuest 239067391. Retrieved October 16, 2022 – via ProQuest.
  6. ^ a b c d "Sun Devil Hall of Fame (Football)". Arizona State Sun Devils. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  7. ^ Eger, Bob (September 1, 2001). Maroon & Gold: A History of Sun Devil Athletics. Sports Publishing LLC. p. 115. ISBN 9781582612232.
  8. ^ "1957 Arizona State Sun Devils Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Healey, Joe (July 3, 2016). "Sun Devil Science: All-Decade Team – 1950s". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  10. ^ Metcalfe, Jeff (September 27, 2012). "RB Marshall knows the score". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix. p. C7. ProQuest 1080962830. Retrieved October 16, 2022 – via ProQuest.
  11. ^ Metcalfe, Jeff (November 23, 2017). "Richard rushes into ASU's record books". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix. p. C1. ProQuest 1967326174. Retrieved October 16, 2022 – via ProQuest.
  12. ^ a b "Leon Burton". Greater Flint African American Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  13. ^ "Leon Burton 1960 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  14. ^ Lange, Randy (October 2, 2006). "Jets Notes". The Record. North Jersey. p. S10. ProQuest 426350522. Retrieved October 16, 2022 – via ProQuest.
  15. ^ "October 28, 1960 Oakland Raiders at New York Titans". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  16. ^ Waszak, Dennis (November 3, 2006). "Free-spirited Miller providing major spark for Jets on kickoffs". Ocean County Observer. Toms River, New Jersey. p. S10. ProQuest 238107019. Retrieved October 16, 2022 – via ProQuest.
  17. ^ "Football greats to be welcomed into ASU's Ring Of Honor at luncheon". Arizona State University. August 29, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  18. ^ "3 inducted into Ring of Honor". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix. October 20, 2013. p. C9. ProQuest 1449474392. Retrieved October 16, 2022 – via ProQuest.
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