Don Burroughs

Last updated

Don Burroughs
Don Burroughs 1959.jpg
Burroughs with the Rams in 1959
No. 25, 45
Position: Safety
Personal information
Born:(1931-08-19)August 19, 1931
Fillmore, California, U.S.
Died:October 20, 2006(2006-10-20) (aged 75)
Ventura, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
College: Colorado A&M (1951–1952)
Undrafted: 1953
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:122
Starts:110
Interceptions:50
Fumble Recoveries:9
Touchdowns:0
Player stats at PFR

Donald Edward Burroughs (August 19, 1931 – October 20, 2006), nicknamed "The Blade", was an American professional football player who was a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football as a quarterback at Colorado A&M, now known as Colorado State University. Burroughs was notable for his 6'5" height, an anomaly at the safety position.

Contents

Early life and college career

Burroughs was born in Fillmore, California, as the only son of a family with four daughters. [1]

Burroughs excelled in Ventura Country for Fillmore High School, being selected as an all-leaguer in football, basketball, and baseball. He spurned scholarship offers from places such as Notre Dame to try to avoid being "lost in the shuffle" among a big university. He played football first for Pasadena City College before moving to Ventura College, earning honors from the Western State Conference as an all-pro before he transferred to Colorado A&M. He was named All-Conference and All-American in his tenure there, where he played as a quarterback. In 1951, he threw for 1,279 yards, becoming the first quarterback in school history to pass for more than 1,000 yards in a season. [2] He was preparing to sign with the Los Angeles Rams in 1953 as a free agent, but he was drafted to serve in the Army. Under the help of general manager Tex Schramm, Burroughs served in San Francisco, California, rather than in Korea, where he played football in the special services unit. He was named to the All-Army Football Team for 1953-1954 before being discharged in 1955. He was inducted into the Colorado State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990 along with the Ventura Country Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. [3]

Pro football career

Due to a logjam of quarterbacks, he elected to switch positions to become a defensive back. His stature and frame earned him the nickname of "The Blade" from Rams quarterback Norm Van Brocklin. In his first season with the Rams, he played in all twelve games. [4] In his first game as a professional on September 25 against the San Francisco 49ers, he picked off three passes off Y.A. Tittle (who threw five in total) in a 23–14 victory for the Rams. [5] Burroughs would collect nine total interceptions in the season, returning them for 103 yards. The Rams won the Western Conference fourth time in the past seven seasons to reach the NFL Championship Game and face the defending champion Cleveland Browns. Burroughs picked off one pass from Otto Graham (who threw three on the day) and returned it 24 yards, but the Browns defeated the Rams 38–14. [6]

The next year, Burroughs would only pick off two passes in twelve games, and the next year saw him start ten games and pick three passes off. 1958 proved slightly better, as he would record seven interceptions in twelve games (with one fumble and one fumble recovery), aided by a three-interception game on November 16 against the Green Bay Packers (quarterbacked by Babe Parilli). [7] [8] In 1959, he played in just ten games with six starts that resulted in no interceptions (with one fumble recovery). After the season, he traded to the Philadelphia Eagles under the request of Van Brocklin, who had joined the Eagles the previous year.

He started ten games and recorded nine interceptions that season while recording one fumble recovery, which included two games with two interceptions. [9] The Eagles finished as one of the best teams in the league and thus advanced to the 1960 NFL Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers on December 26. While he did not record a statistic, the Eagles won the game 17-13, earning Burroughs his first and only championship. [10] He was named a Second Team All-Pro that season by three of the five selectors (the Associated Press and the Newspaper Enterprise Association, and the New York Daily News).

He recorded seven interceptions in both 1961 and 1962, and in the former year, he was second-team All Pro from the NEA, the Daily News, and the UPI. [11] [12] [13] Burroughs recorded his third and final game with three interceptions on December 3, 1961, against the Pittsburgh Steelers (who used Bobby Layne, Rudy Bukich, and John Henry Johnson as quarterbacks). [14] He recorded four interceptions in 1963 before closing out his career with two interceptions in 1964. His final interception came against the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 25. [15] [16]

He finished in the top ten for interceptions in five different seasons, finishing second in 1955, fifth in 1958, third in 1960, fifth in 1961, and third in 1962. At the time of the retirement of Burroughs, he was the seventh player to have recorded fifty interceptions in NFL history; in the prevailing half-century, he moved from tied for fifth best to 35th. [17]

Personal life

After his retirement at the age of 33, Burroughs ran a variety of businesses, which included a trucking company. With his wife Elaine, he had four children along with nine grandchildren. In 2006, Burroughs died of cancer at the age of 75. [18]

Related Research Articles

The second AFL–NFL World Championship Game was an American football game played on January 14, 1968, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. The National Football League (NFL)'s defending champion Green Bay Packers defeated American Football League (AFL) champion Oakland Raiders by the score of 33–14. This game and the following year's are the only two Super Bowls played in the same stadium in consecutive seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julius Peppers</span> American football player (born 1980)

Julius Frazier Peppers is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end and linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, where he was recognized as a unanimous All-American, and was selected by the Carolina Panthers second overall in the 2002 NFL draft, and also played for the Chicago Bears from 2010 through 2013 and the Green Bay Packers from 2014 to 2016. After rejoining the Panthers for the 2017 season, he retired after the 2018 NFL season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Pederson</span> American football player and coach (born 1968)

Douglas Irvin Pederson is an American professional football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Pederson played professionally as a quarterback, spending most of his 13-season career as a backup to Brett Favre on the Green Bay Packers, where he was a member of the team that won Super Bowl XXXI. Pederson was also a backup to Dan Marino on the Miami Dolphins and a starter for the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns until retiring in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Christman</span> American football player (1918–1970)

Paul Joseph Christman was an American football quarterback. He played college football for the Missouri Tigers and professionally for the Chicago Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted in the second round of the 1941 NFL Draft by the Cardinals. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeke Bratkowski</span> American football player and coach (1931–2019)

Edmund Raymond "Zeke" Bratkowski was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams, and Green Bay Packers.

Jeffrey Allen Carlson is an American former professional football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played three seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots. He previously had played for Weber State University and Pacifica High School in Garden Grove, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clay Matthews III</span> American football player (born 1986)

William Clay Matthews III, primarily known as Clay Matthews, is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). The six-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time All-Pro played 10 seasons for the Green Bay Packers and 1 season for the Los Angeles Rams. He is the all-time official sack leader for the Packers, with 83.5. He was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Foles</span> American football player (born 1989)

Nicholas Edward Foles is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football for the Arizona Wildcats and was selected in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Foles had a breakout season in 2013 when he set the NFL season record for the best touchdown–interception ratio and led the Eagles to a division title, earning him Pro Bowl honors. Unable to duplicate his success the following year, Foles was traded to the St. Louis Rams, where he also struggled during his one season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linval Joseph</span> American football player (born 1988)

Linval Clement Joseph is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the East Carolina Pirates. He was selected by the New York Giants in the second round, 46th overall of the 2010 NFL draft. He also played for the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cameron Jordan</span> American football player (born 1989)

Cameron Tyler Jordan is an American professional football defensive end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears, and was selected by the Saints in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft. A member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, Jordan is an eight-time Pro Bowler, a three-time All-Pro selection, and is the Saints' all-time franchise sack leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nickell Robey-Coleman</span> American football player (born 1992)

Nickell Earl Robey-Coleman is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2013 after playing college football at USC. Robey-Coleman has also played for the Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and Las Vegas Raiders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blake Bortles</span> American football player (born 1992)

Robby Blake Bortles is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, primarily with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college football for the UCF Knights, where he received AAC Offensive Player of the Year honors as a junior and was MVP of the 2014 Fiesta Bowl. Bortles was selected by the Jaguars third overall in the 2014 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeMarcus Lawrence</span> American football player (born 1992)

DeMarcus Lawrence is an American professional football defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Cowboys in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft. He played college football for the Butler Community College Grizzlies and Boise State Broncos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard Floyd</span> American football player (born 1992)

Leonard Cornilus Floyd is an American professional football defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs and was selected by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaquil Barrett</span> American football player (born 1992)

Shaquil Akeem Barrett is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska–Omaha Mavericks before transferring to the Colorado State Rams. Barrett was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent after the 2014 NFL draft. After five seasons with the Broncos, including winning Super Bowl 50, he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Barrett's level of play increased, making the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams in 2019 after leading the league in sacks, and in 2021 won Super Bowl LV, recording a sack in the game. He signed with the Miami Dolphins in 2024 before retiring from football shortly after.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Bradberry</span> American football player (born 1993)

James Bradberry IV is an American professional football cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Samford Bulldogs and was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft. Bradberry has also been a member of the New York Giants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samson Ebukam</span> Nigerian American football player (born 1995)

Nnamka Samson Ebukam is a Nigerian–American professional football defensive end for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Washington and was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dre Greenlaw</span> American football player (born 1997)

Ke'Aundre J'Quan "Dre" Greenlaw is an American professional football linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was selected by the 49ers in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL draft.

References

  1. ↑ "Don "The Blade" Burroughs Obituary (2006) Ventura County Star". Legacy.com .
  2. ↑ "Colorado State Athletics Hall of Fame - Don Burroughs". Colorado State Athletics . Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Don Burroughs". January 30, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Don Burroughs 1955 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
  5. ↑ "Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers - September 25th, 1955". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
  6. ↑ "Championship - Cleveland Browns at Los Angeles Rams - December 26th, 1955". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
  7. ↑ "Don Burroughs 1958 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
  8. ↑ "Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers - November 16th, 1958". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
  9. ↑ "Don Burroughs 1960 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
  10. ↑ "Championship - Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles - December 26th, 1960". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
  11. ↑ "1961 NFL All-Pros". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
  12. ↑ "Don Burroughs 1961 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
  13. ↑ "Don Burroughs 1962 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
  14. ↑ "Philadelphia Eagles at Pittsburgh Steelers - December 3rd, 1961". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
  15. ↑ "Don Burroughs 1964 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
  16. ↑ "Philadelphia Eagles at Pittsburgh Steelers - October 25th, 1964". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
  17. ↑ "NFL Career Interceptions Leaders Through 1965". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
  18. ↑ Ben Bolch (November 1, 2006). "Don Burroughs, 75; back was All-Pro for the Rams, Eagles". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved October 6, 2009.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.