Paul "Buddy" Burris (January 20, 1923 – November 26, 2007) was an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

player. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the Golden Hurricane at

University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a Private university, private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Presbyterian Church, although it is now nondenominational, and the campus ...

, and after a hiatus to serve in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, for the

Sooners Sooners is the name given to settlers who entered the Unassigned Lands illegally in what is now the state of Oklahoma before the official start of the Land Rush of 1889. The Unassigned Lands were a part of Indian Territory that, after a lobbyi ...

at the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

. Burris was the first Oklahoma player to earn

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors in three years. After college, he played professionally in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for three years with the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

Early life

Burris was born on January 20, 1923, in

Nowata, Oklahoma Nowata (Lenape: ', ' ) is a city in and the county seat of Nowata County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,731 at the 2010 United States census, a 6.0 percent decline from the figure of 3,971 recorded in 2000. The area where it was ...

. He was raised in

Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the 13th-largest city in Oklahoma and is the county seat of Muskogee County, Oklahoma, Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of ...

by farmer Paul "Pop" Burris., ''

Muskogee Phoenix The ''Muskogee Phoenix'' is a daily newspaper published in Muskogee, Oklahoma, United States, covering several counties of northeastern Oklahoma. It is owned by CNHI. The paper is printed five days a week (Tuesday-Saturday), while digital acce ...

'', November 27, 2007, retrieved January 26, 2009. 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., ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'', December 13, 1954, retrieved January 26, 2009. 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 Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

College and military service

In 1942, Burris enrolled at the

. There, he played football for the Golden Hurricane under the head coach

Henry Frnka Henry E. Frnka ( ; March 16, 1903 – December 18, 1980) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head coach at the University of Tulsa from 1941 to 1945 and at Tulane University from 1946 to 19 ...

. Burris played in the

1943 Sugar Bowl The 1943 Sugar Bowl featured the fourth ranked Tulsa, and the seventh ranked Tennessee. 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 ...

loss to sixth-ranked

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

.Sooners remember Burris
''

Tulsa World The ''Tulsa World'' is an American daily newspaper. It serves the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is the primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. The printed edition is the second-most circulated newspaper in the sta ...

'', November 27, 2007, retrieved January 26, 2009. In 1943, Burris enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

and served in the

in Europe and Japan. While in the service, he achieved the rank of

staff sergeant Staff sergeant is a Military rank, rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administr ...

. After the war, Burris returned home with the intent of resuming college. At Tulsa, head coach Frnka had moved onto

Tulane The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it be ...

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 Norman () is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, 3rd most populous city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,026 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the most populous city and the county seat of Clevel ...

to watch the

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the college athletics in the United States , athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman, Oklahoma, Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to ...

practice. First-year head coach

Jim Tatum James Moore "Big Jim" Tatum (August 22, 1913 – July 23, 1959) was an American college football and college baseball player and coach. Tatum served as the head football coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1942, 1956–1958 ...

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 The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

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 The Helms Athletic Foundation, founded in 1936, was a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to the promotion of athletics and sportsmanship. Paul H. Helms was the organization's founder and benefactor, funding the foundation via his owner ...

Football Hall of Fame. Burris graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a

bachelor's degree in business administration A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years (de ...

. In March 1948, Oklahoma head coach

Bud Wilkinson Charles Burnham "Bud" Wilkinson (April 23, 1916 – February 9, 1994) 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 ...

accused a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

from the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...

of the

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a major professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many ...

of attempting to sign three of his players: Burris,

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

John Rapacz John Joseph Rapacz (April 25, 1924 – January 2, 1991) was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants. He also played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) for the Chicago ...

, and tackle

Homer Paine Homer Paine (September 20, 1923 – July 5, 2010) was an 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 ...

. 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 draft The 1947 NFL draft was held on December 16, 1946, at the Commodore Hotel in New York City, New York. The National Football League in this draft made the first overall pick, a bonus pick determined by lottery. The Chicago Bears won the first lo ...

by the

(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

return Return may refer to: In business, economics, and finance * Return on investment (ROI), the financial gain after an expense. * Rate of return, the financial term for the profit or loss derived from an investment * Tax return, a blank document or t ...

ed three kickoffs for 18 yards. In 1951, he saw action in seven games and recovered one own team fumble. After his football career, Burris worked for

Dow Chemical Company The Dow Chemical Company is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. The company was among the three largest chemical producers in the world in 2021. It is the operating subsidiary of Dow Inc., ...

. He later took a job as a contracting administrator at

Tinker Air Force Base Tinker Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, adjacent to Del City and Midwest City. The ba ...

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

. He worked for the

federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

until his retirement, and he also owned and ran his own

landscaping Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal ...

and

tree surgery Arboriculture (, from ) is the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants. The science of arboriculture studies how these plants grow and respond to cultural practices and to their env ...

business, Burris Services.Harold Keith
''47 Straight: The Wilkinson Era at Oklahoma''
, p. 51, University of Oklahoma Press, 2003, . Burris died of natural causes on November 26, 2007, in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burris, Paul 1923 births 2007 deaths People from Nowata, Oklahoma Players of American football from Oklahoma American football guards Tulsa Golden Hurricane football players Oklahoma Sooners football players All-American college football players Green Bay Packers players United States Army personnel of World War II Dow Chemical Company employees United States Army soldiers