Lawrence Godfrey Burton (born December 15, 1951) 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 ...

player and world-class Olympic sprinter, finishing fourth for the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

team in the 200 meter final at the

1972 Summer Olympic Games The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...

. He held the world record in the 60-yard dash at 5.9 seconds. As a Senior at

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

, he finished his season with 38 catches for 702 yards (18.5 YPR) and 4 TD. He led the Big 10 in catches, receiving yards, and was 2nd in yards per reception. He was named to numerous

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 ...

teams. Burton was selected by the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

in the first round (7th overall) of the

1975 NFL draft The 1975 NFL draft was held January 28–29, 1975, at the New York Hilton at Rockefeller Center in New York City, New York. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Atlanta Falcons selected quarterback Steve Bartkowski. Player selectio ...

; a

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 ...

from

, he played in 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 ...

for five seasons for the Saints and the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

between 1975 and 1979. Despite having over 250 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons, he was never able to become a regular starter for any team.

Boys Town career

In 1980, Larry, along with his wife Ida, became Family Teachers at Boys Town located outside of Omaha, Nebraska. In 1992, after being Family Teachers, Larry became the Director of the Long Beach Shelter, where he worked until 2008. Larry said, "Many of the youth who come to our Long Beach Shelter are in crisis upon arrival. This is a safety net for them. Otherwise, their lives would be endangered for this is an emergency place." The Burtons earned the Civic Leader Award, given by the National Academy of Sports and Athletics.

Personal life

In 2013, Burton was inducted into the

Virginia Sports Hall of Fame The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame honors athletes, coaches, administrators, journalists and other contributors to athletics. Many of the more than 350 inductees since 1972 were born in Virginia or enjoyed success in college, professional, amateur or ...

. He has 3 children, and Burton's grandsons, Clay and

Trey Trey may refer to: Places * Trey, Switzerland, a commune in Vaud, Switzerland * Trey Peaks, Coats Land, Antarctica Other uses * Trey (playing card), the Three in card games * Trey (given name) * Trey, slang for a three-point shot in basketball ...

, played football for the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni an ...

. Trey was a tight end for the Indianapolis Colts, and also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Chicago Bears.

References

External links

pro-football-reference.com stats

1951 births Living people People from Northampton County, Virginia American male sprinters Players of American football from Virginia Track and field athletes from Virginia American football wide receivers Purdue Boilermakers football players New Orleans Saints players San Diego Chargers players Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for the United States NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners Purdue Boilermakers men's track and field athletes 20th-century American sportsmen {{widereceiver-1950s-stub