Burr Browning Baldwin (June 13, 1922 – August 20, 2007) was an American professional football player. He played college football for the

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) ...

, and became the school's first player to receive All-American honors. Baldwin played pro football for three years with the

Los Angeles Dons The Los Angeles Dons were an American football team in the newly formed football league the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1946 to 1949, and played their home games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Dons were the first profe ...

of the

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a 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 the ...

Biography

Baldwin attended

Bakersfield High School Bakersfield High School (BHS) is a public four-year high school located in Bakersfield, California, United States. Opened in 1893, Bakersfield High School serves grades ninth through twelfth within the Kern High School District. Notable alumni * ...

in Bakersfield, California. He attended college at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...

, where he played for the Bruins as an

end End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: **End (category theory) ** End (topology) ** End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) ** End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron footba ...

from 1940 to 1942. In 1943, he put his education and playing career on hiatus to enter the U.S. Army during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. He served from May 1943 to July 1946 and became an infantry captain in three campaigns in the

European theater of operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It commanded Army Ground Fo ...

. After the war, he returned to UCLA, and in 1946, became the first UCLA football player to earn All-America honors. He played in two

Rose Bowls The Rose Bowl Game is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 (New Year's Day) at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2. The Ro ...

for UCLA and in

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January– February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the count ...

was drafted by 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 club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...

. After college, Baldwin played professional football with the

from 1947 to 1949. He returned to military service during the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top: ...

from 1951 to 1953. Baldwin spent fifty years working as an insurance broker before he retired in July 2007. He died at his home in Bakersfield on August 20, 2007, of complications due to cancer. The Bob Elias Kern County Sports Hall of Fame inducted Baldwin in February 1969.Burr Baldwin
Bob Elias Kern County Sports Hall of Fame, retrieved June 11, 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldwin, Burr 1922 births 2007 deaths Players of American football from Bakersfield, California Bakersfield High School alumni UCLA Bruins football players All-American college football players Los Angeles Dons players United States Army officers United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of the Korean War Deaths from cancer in California