James Oertell Burson (October 13, 1940 – August 2, 2022) 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 from

LaGrange, Georgia LaGrange is a city in and the county seat of Troup County, Georgia, United States. The population of the city was estimated to be 30,858 in 2020 by the U.S. Census Bureau. It is the principal city of the LaGrange, Georgia Micropolitan Statist ...

. Burson played college football at Auburn and was selected in the eleventh round of the

1963 NFL draft The 1963 NFL draft was held at the Sheraton in Chicago, Illinois, on Monday, December 3, 1962. The first overall selection was quarterback Terry Baker of Oregon State, the Heisman Trophy winner, taken by the Los Angeles Rams. The AFL draft wa ...

by the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

. He was also selected by the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1960 Houston Oilers season, 1960 to 1996 Houston Oilers season, 1996. The Houston Oilers began play as a charter member of the Ame ...

in the eighth round of the

1963 AFL Draft The 1963 American Football League draft was held in Dallas on Saturday, December 1, 1962. The Kansas City Chiefs drafted as the Dallas Texans, as their relocation would take place a few months later. With the first overall selection, they took ...

. Burson played five seasons with the Cardinals from 1963 to 1967 and intercepted 12 passes. He also returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in 1964. He finished his NFL career in 1968 with the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

. Following his playing career, Burson remained in metro Atlanta and began coaching at the high school level. The highlight of his career was a 12-year stint as head coach at Milton High School from 1974 to 1985. Burson died on August 2, 2022, at the age of 81.

References

1940 births 2022 deaths Players of American football from LaGrange, Georgia LaGrange High School (Georgia) alumni St. Louis Cardinals (football) players Atlanta Falcons players Auburn Tigers football players 20th-century American sportsmen {{Defensiveback-1940s-stub