Cornell Rodney Burbage (born February 22, 1965) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

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 the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

. He also was a member of the New York/New Jersey Knights of the

World League of American Football NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa) was a professional American football league that functioned as the List of developmental and minor sports leagues, developmental minor league of the Nati ...

(WLAF). 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 ...

at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

Early life

Burbage attended

Bryan Station High School Bryan Station High School, founded in 1958, is a high school within the Fayette County Public Schools system in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. During the 2006–2007 school year, students were moved to their newly built school known as Bry ...

, where he was a teammate of

Dermontti Dawson Dermontti Farra Dawson (born June 17, 1965) is an American former professional football player who was a center and long snapper in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football with the Kentucky Wildcats. He was selected by th ...

and

Marc Logan Marc Anthony Logan (born May 9, 1965) is an American former professional American football, football running back that played NCAA D1-A before playing in the National Football League (NFL). Logan weighs in at 6'0, 217 lbs., and attended the U ...

. He didn't have great stats at

because he played in a heavily run-oriented system. As a senior, he received All-state honors in football and track. He accepted a football scholarship from the

, but had few opportunities to prove his true worth in the Wildcats run-oriented offense. As a junior, he tallied 25 receptions (second on the team) for 418 yards (led the team). Including 7 receptions for 131 yards against

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, Un ...

. In his last year in 1986, he led the team in receiving with only 24 receptions for 331 yards. He ranked third in the SEC in kickoff returns with a 23.1-yard average and fifth in punt returns with 6.7-yard average. He finished his college career with 64 receptions for 988 yards and no

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Burbage was signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

by the

after the

1987 NFL draft The 1987 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1987, at the Marriot Ma ...

. He was waived on September 7. After the players went on a strike on the third week of the 1987 season, those games were canceled (reducing the 16-game season to 15) and the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a 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 Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

decided that the games would be played with replacement players. Burbage was signed to be a part of the

replacement team, that was given the mock name "Rhinestone Cowboys" by the media. He had 3 receptions for 110 yards, including a 77-yard

against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

. He was cut on October 26, after the strike ended. In

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

, he was signed during the offseason and was cut on August 29. Burbage was re-signed on October 12 to provide depth after the team suffered many injuries on the

corps. He finished the year ranked second in kickoff-return average (22.4 yards) in the

National Football Conference The National Football Conference (NFC) is a conference of the National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional American football in the United States. The NFC and its counterpart, the American Football Conference (AFC), each h ...

. On September 19,

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

, he was placed on the injured reserve list with a shoulder injury.

Minnesota Vikings

Burbage signed with the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

as a Plan B free agent in

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

. He was released on August 28.

New York/New Jersey Knights (WLAF)

Burbage signed with the New York/New Jersey Knights of the

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

, they were coached by

Mouse Davis Darrel "Mouse" Davis (born September 6, 1932) is a retired American football coach and former player. A veteran coach at the high school, college, and professional levels, he last coached with Jerry Glanville at Portland State University and with ...

, the architect of the

Run and shoot offense The run and shoot offense (also known as Run N' Shoot) is an offensive system for American football which emphasizes receiver motion and on-the-fly adjustments of receivers' routes in response to different defenses. It was conceived by former ...

. He led the league in kickoff-return average and also registered a World League-record return of 101 yards in

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

Pittsburgh Steelers

On July 10,

, he was signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

. He was cut on August 26.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL)

Burbage signed with the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

. He was waived on July 4.

Memphis Mad Dogs (CFL)

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, he was signed as a

by the

Memphis Mad Dogs The Memphis Mad Dogs were a Canadian football team that played the 1995 CFL season, 1995 season in the Canadian Football League. The Mad Dogs were part of a failed attempt to CFL USA, expand the CFL into the United States. They played at Liberty ...

of the

. He was released before the start of the season.

Coaching career

After his playing career was over, Burbage was a coach at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, where he helped turn the team into a state runner-up in 1997. The next year, he left to coach at his alma mater,

. Burbage served three years as the

offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator (OC) is a Coach (sport), coach responsible for a gridiron football team's offense (American football), offense. Generally, the offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second ...

, before taking over as the 27th head football coach at

Kentucky State University Kentucky State University (KSU, and KYSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Frankfort, Kentucky. Founded in 1886 as the State Normal School for Colored Persons, and becoming a land-grant college in 1890, KSU is the second ...

on an interim basis for the 2004 season. His record at Kentucky State was 7–4.Kentucky State University coaching records
In 2006, he was named the head coach at

West Jessamine High School West Jessamine High School is a public high school in Nicholasville, Kentucky. It opened in 1997 along with East Jessamine High School after rapidly growing Jessamine County split its former high school, Jessamine County High, in two. West Jes ...

. Cornell is currently an assistant coach at his former high school, Bryan Station High School, in Lexington.

Head coaching record

College

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burbage, Cornell 1965 births Living people American football wide receivers Dallas Cowboys players Kentucky State Thorobreds football coaches Kentucky Wildcats football players NFL replacement players New York/New Jersey Knights players High school football coaches in Kentucky Coaches of American football from Kentucky Players of American football from Lexington, Kentucky African-American coaches of American football 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen