Buddy Burris
Encyclopedia
Paul "Buddy" Burris was an American football
player. He played college football
for the Golden Hurricane
at University of Tulsa
, and after a hiatus to serve in the Second World War, for the Sooners
at the University of Oklahoma
. Burris was the first Oklahoma player to earn All-America
honors in three years. After college, he played professionally in the National Football League
(NFL) for three years with the Green Bay Packers
.
. He was raised in Muskogee, Oklahoma
by farmer Paul "Pop" Burris. He had five sisters and five brothers. All of his male siblings also played football, with the first three earning letters at Oklahoma: Kurt
, Bob, Lynn, Lyle, and Don. Buddy Burris attended Muskogee Central High School where he played football. There in 1939, he participated in the football team's 12–0 "Indian Bowl" victory over Daniel Webster High School
of Tulsa, Oklahoma
.
. There, he played football for the Golden Hurricane
under the head coach Henry Frnka
. Burris played in the 1943 Sugar Bowl
loss to sixth-ranked . In 1943, Burris enlisted in the United States Army
and served in the Second World War in Europe and Japan. While in the service, he achieved the rank of staff sergeant.
After the war, Burris returned home with the intent of resuming college. At Tulsa, head coach Frnka had moved onto Tulane
and had been replaced by Buddy Brothers
. Burris said he liked Brothers, but was angered by one of his assistants who told him he had an obligation to return to Tulsa. Instead, Burris went to Norman, Oklahoma
to watch the Oklahoma Sooners
practice. First-year head coach Jim Tatum
sent Burris onto the practice field where he blocked three punts. Tatum was impressed enough to offer Burris a scholarship the following week.
From 1946 to 1948, Burris played offensive and defensive guard. He was one of many returning war veterans to join the team and among eight future All-American
s in the 1946 recruiting class. Burris became the first Sooner to be named an All-American all three years at Oklahoma. In 1948, he was named a consensus All-American. He was also the first Sooner inducted into the Helms Athletic Foundation
Football Hall of Fame. Burris graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor's degree in business administration
.
In March 1948, Oklahoma head coach Bud Wilkinson
accused a scout from the Brooklyn Dodgers
of the All-America Football Conference
of attempting to sign three of his players: Burris, center
John Rapacz
, and tackle
Homer Paine
. The scout denied the charge, and insisted his visit to Oklahoma was licit and at the behest of Burris who wanted to discuss his potential for a future professional career.
by the Green Bay Packers
(31st overall). He played with the Packers for three seasons. In 1949, he saw action in ten games and recorded one interception and recovered one opponent fumble. In 1950, he played in nine games and returned three kickoff
s for 18 yards. In 1951, he saw action in seven games and recovered one own team fumble.
After his football career, Burris worked for the Dow Chemical Company
. He later took a job as a contracting administrator at Tinker Air Force Base
in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
. He worked for the federal government
until his retirement, and he also owned and ran his own landscaping
and tree surgery business, Burris Services. Burris died of natural causes on January 20, 2007 in Norman, Oklahoma
.
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. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the Golden Hurricane
Tulsa Golden Hurricane football
The University of Tulsa's Golden Hurricane football team represents Tulsa in Conference USA. Tulsa is currently coached by first-year head coach Bill Blankenship. The football team was coached by Todd Graham until he accepted the head coaching job at Pittsburgh....
at University of Tulsa
University of Tulsa
The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by...
, and after a hiatus to serve in the Second World War, for the Sooners
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
at the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
. Burris was the first Oklahoma player to earn All-America
College Football All-America Team
The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
honors in three years. After college, he played professionally in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) for three years with the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
.
Early years
Burris was born on January 20, 1923 in Nowata, OklahomaNowata, Oklahoma
Nowata is a city in Nowata County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,731 at the United States Census, 2010, a 6.0 percent decline from 3,971 at the 2000 census...
. He was raised in Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County, and home to Bacone College. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Oklahoma....
by farmer Paul "Pop" Burris. He had five sisters and five brothers. All of his male siblings also played football, with the first three earning letters at Oklahoma: Kurt
Kurt Burris
Kurt Burris was an American gridiron football center. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he was an All-American and finished second in the 1954 Heisman Trophy balloting...
, Bob, Lynn, Lyle, and Don. Buddy Burris attended Muskogee Central High School where he played football. There in 1939, he participated in the football team's 12–0 "Indian Bowl" victory over Daniel Webster High School
Webster High School (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
Daniel Webster High School is a high school in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is part of the Tulsa Public Schools, and is a public school for students from grades 9 through 12. The school opened in 1938 in the West Tulsa section of the city, and is housed in a PWA-style Art Deco building designed by...
of Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
.
College and military service
In 1942, Burris enrolled at the University of TulsaUniversity of Tulsa
The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by...
. There, he played football for the Golden Hurricane
Tulsa Golden Hurricane football
The University of Tulsa's Golden Hurricane football team represents Tulsa in Conference USA. Tulsa is currently coached by first-year head coach Bill Blankenship. The football team was coached by Todd Graham until he accepted the head coaching job at Pittsburgh....
under the head coach Henry Frnka
Henry Frnka
-External links:*...
. Burris played in the 1943 Sugar Bowl
1943 Sugar Bowl
The 1943 edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the fourth ranked Tulsa Golden Hurricane, and the seventh ranked Tennessee Volunteers.Tulsa took a 7–0 lead on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Glenn Dobbs to Cal Purdin in the second quarter. Tennessee scored on a three-yard run by Gold, but the extra...
loss to sixth-ranked . In 1943, Burris enlisted in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and served in the Second World War in Europe and Japan. While in the service, he achieved the rank of staff sergeant.
After the war, Burris returned home with the intent of resuming college. At Tulsa, head coach Frnka had moved onto Tulane
Tulane Green Wave football
The Tulane Green Wave football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents Tulane University in New Orleans. The team is a member of Conference USA and is led by interim head coach Mark Hutson, who took over on October 18, 2011, when fifth-year head coach Bob Toledo resigned...
and had been replaced by Buddy Brothers
Buddy Brothers
John O. "Buddy" Brothers was an American college football coach. He coached the Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team at the University of Tulsa from 1946 to 1952 and compiled a 45–25–4 record and 0.635 winning percentage.-Coaching career:Brothers attended Texas Tech University, where he played on...
. Burris said he liked Brothers, but was angered by one of his assistants who told him he had an obligation to return to Tulsa. Instead, Burris went to Norman, Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...
to watch the Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
practice. First-year head coach Jim Tatum
Jim Tatum
James M. "Big Jim" Tatum was an American football and baseball player and coach. Tatum served as the head football coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , the University of Oklahoma , and the University of Maryland, College Park , compiling a career college football record of...
sent Burris onto the practice field where he blocked three punts. Tatum was impressed enough to offer Burris a scholarship the following week.
From 1946 to 1948, Burris played offensive and defensive guard. He was one of many returning war veterans to join the team and among eight future All-American
College Football All-America Team
The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
s in the 1946 recruiting class. Burris became the first Sooner to be named an All-American all three years at Oklahoma. In 1948, he was named a consensus All-American. He was also the first Sooner inducted into the Helms Athletic Foundation
Helms Athletic Foundation
The Helms Athletic Foundation was an athletic foundation based in Los Angeles, founded in 1936 by Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms. It put together a panel of experts to select National Champion teams and make All-America team selections in a number of college sports including football and basketball...
Football Hall of Fame. Burris graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor's degree in business administration
Bachelor of Business Administration
The Bachelor of Business Administration is a bachelor's degree in Commerce and business administration. In most universities, the degree is conferred upon a student after four years of full-time study in one or more areas of business concentrations; see below...
.
In March 1948, Oklahoma head coach Bud Wilkinson
Bud Wilkinson
Charles Burnham "Bud" Wilkinson was an American football player, coach, broadcaster, and politician. He served as the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1947 to 1963, compiling a record of 145–29–4. His Oklahoma Sooners won three national championships and 14...
accused a scout from the Brooklyn Dodgers
Brooklyn Dodgers (AAFC)
The Brooklyn Dodgers was an American Football team that played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1948. The team is unrelated to the Brooklyn Dodgers that played in the National Football League from 1930 to 1943...
of the All-America Football Conference
All-America Football Conference
The All-America Football Conference was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations...
of attempting to sign three of his players: Burris, center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
John Rapacz
John Rapacz
John Joseph Rapacz was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the New York Giants. He also played in the All-America Football Conference for the Chicago Rockets/Hornets...
, and tackle
Tackle (American football)
Tackle is a playing position in American and Canadian football. Historically, in the one-platoon system a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, offensive tackle and defensive tackle are separate positions....
Homer Paine
Homer Paine
Homer Paine is a former American football tackle. He played college football at the University of Tulsa for one season and at the University of Oklahoma for three seasons. Paine was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference first team while at Tulsa, and he was twice named to all-conference...
. The scout denied the charge, and insisted his visit to Oklahoma was licit and at the behest of Burris who wanted to discuss his potential for a future professional career.
Professional career
Burris was selected in the fifth round of the 1947 NFL Draft1947 NFL Draft
The 1947 National Football League Draft was held on December 16, 1946.The National Football League in this draft made the first overall pick a bonus pick determined by lottery. The Chicago Bears won the first lottery...
by the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
(31st overall). He played with the Packers for three seasons. In 1949, he saw action in ten games and recorded one interception and recovered one opponent fumble. In 1950, he played in nine games and returned three kickoff
Kickoff (American football)
A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in American football and Canadian football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team"...
s for 18 yards. In 1951, he saw action in seven games and recovered one own team fumble.
After his football career, Burris worked for the Dow Chemical Company
Dow Chemical Company
The Dow Chemical Company is a multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. As of 2007, it is the second largest chemical manufacturer in the world by revenue and as of February 2009, the third-largest chemical company in the world by market capitalization .Dow...
. He later took a job as a contracting administrator at Tinker Air Force Base
Tinker Air Force Base
Tinker Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in the southeast Oklahoma City, Oklahoma area, directly south of the suburb of Midwest City, Oklahoma.-Overview:...
in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
. He worked for the federal government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
until his retirement, and he also owned and ran his own landscaping
Landscaping
Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including:# living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly referred to as gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal of creating a beautiful environment within the landscape.#...
and tree surgery business, Burris Services. Burris died of natural causes on January 20, 2007 in Norman, Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...
.