William Burrell is a former American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 player at the University of Illinois

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...

.

A linebacker

Linebacker

A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...

 and guard

Guard (American football)

In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....

, in 1959 Burrell won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football

Chicago Tribune Silver Football

The Chicago Tribune Silver Football is awarded by the Chicago Tribune to the college football player determined to be the best player from the Big Ten Conference. The award has been presented annually since 1924, when Red Grange of Illinois was the award's first recipient.The winner of the Silver...

 as the MVP of the Big Ten Conference

Big Ten Conference

The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...

. Burrell also finished fourth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy

Heisman Trophy

The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...

 that year, and was a consensus All-American.

Burrell was drafted by the Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 in the 1960 American Football League Draft

1960 American Football League Draft

The 1960 American Football League Draft was held on November 22, 1959, shortly after the organization of the league, and lasted 33 rounds. An additional draft of 20 rounds was held by the AFL on December 2.- Territorial draft :...

, and by the St. Louis Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 in the fifth round of the 1960 NFL Draft

1960 NFL Draft

The 1960 National Football League Draft Annual Player Selection Meeting in which NFL teams take turns selecting amateur college American football players and other first-time eligible players, was held in secret in order to fend off increased competition for college players from the American...

.

He played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders

Saskatchewan Roughriders

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...

 of the Canadian Football League

Canadian Football League

The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....

, and was that team's nominee for the Schenley Award as Outstanding Lineman in 1960.

Burrell attended Central High School

Central High School (Clifton, Illinois)

Clifton Central High School is a high school located in Clifton, Illinois, USA. It has about 400 students. The principal is Martin D. Felesena. The sports teams are called the Central Comets and the girls are the Lady Comets....

 in Clifton, Illinois

Clifton, Illinois

Clifton is a village in Chebanse Township, Iroquois County, Illinois, USA. The population was 1,317 at the 2000 census, and 1,226 in 2009.-Geography:Clifton is located at ....

.

Bill Burrell is a member of The Pigskin Club Of Washington, D.C.

The Pigskin Club of Washington, D.C.

The Pigskin Club of Washington, D.C., Inc. was founded in 1938 with the goals of "improving relationship between persons interested in the game of football; that there may be given encouragement for good, clean sport; that there may be a more perfect understanding among such persons; and, that...

National Intercollegiate All-American Football Players Honor Roll.

Bill Burrell died on March 22, 1998.