Ron Burton
Ronald E. Burton (July 25, 1936 – September 13, 2003) was an American football player in the American Football League (AFL) for the Boston Patriots. He was a consensus All-American running back at Northwestern University, and is a member of the Northwestern Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame.
| No. 22 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Running back | ||
| Personal information | |||
| Born: | July 25, 1936 Springfield, Ohio | ||
| Died: | September 13, 2003 (aged 67) Framingham, Massachusetts | ||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||
| Career information | |||
| College: | Northwestern | ||
| NFL Draft: | 1960 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9 | ||
| AFL draft: | 1960 / Round: 1 Pick: First Selections (by the Boston Patriots) | ||
| Career history | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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| Career AFL statistics | |||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||
Playing career
Northwestern Wildcats
Burton was a star on Ara Parseghian's late 1950s Northwestern Wildcats football teams. Named all-Big Ten in 1958 and 1959, and All-America in 1959, Burton left Northwestern having broken school records for most points in a career (130), most points in a season (76), most touchdowns in a career (21). Burton led Northwestern in all-purpose yards in 1957, 1958, and 1959. Burton finished 10th in the 1959 Heisman Trophy balloting.[1]
Boston Patriots
Burton was the Boston Patriots' first-ever American Football League draft choice in 1960. He was the first Patriot to rush for over 100 yards: 127 against the Denver Broncos on October 23, 1960, as well as numerous other firsts for the Patriots.[2] His 91-yard touchdown return on a missed field goal in 1962 remains a Patriot record. He compiled 1,009 combined yards in rushing and receiving in 1962, and provided strong depth at running back for the Patriots from 1960 through 1965.
Statistics: Ron Burton Sr. New England (Boston) Patriots 1960-1965
All-Time Leader in Punt Returns(Based on return yardage)Years: 1960-’65 NO: 56 FC: 0 YDS: 389AVG: 6.9 LG 62 TD: 0
Year-by-Year Leader in Punt ReturnsYear: 1965 NO: 15 YDS: 61 AVG: 4.1 LG 12 TD: 0
Year-by-Year Leader in RushingYear: 1962 ATT: 134 YDS: 548 AVG: 4.0 LG: 59 TD: 2
Death
In 2003, Burton died from multiple myeloma. At the time of his death, he was living in Framingham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.[3][4][5] His sons are Ron Burton Jr., a director of community relations for the Red Sox, Paul Burton, a reporter for WBZ-TV, and Steve Burton who is the Sports Director for WBZ-TV in Boston and a frequent guest on WEEI-FM sports radio.
References
- https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/awards/heisman-1959.html
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 3, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?n=ronald-e-burton&pid=1401969
- Social Security Death Index Search Results
- "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JP23-14Z : May 20, 2014), Ronald E Burton, September 13, 2003; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).