| Tennessee State Tigers | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Special teams coordinator | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1972-05-16)May 16, 1972 (age 53) Greeleyville, South Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Alexandria (VA) Williams | ||||||||
| College | Oklahoma State | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1994: 7th round, 210th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
Playing | |||||||||
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Coaching | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Keith Bernard Burns (born May 16, 1972) is an Americanfootball coach and former professionallinebacker and special teams player. He was formerly thespecial teams coordinator for theWashington Redskins of theNational Football League (NFL).[1]
Burns was born inGreeleyville, South Carolina. He was raised by his mother, Tracy, inAlexandria, Virginia, as the youngest of four children.[2]He was a 1990 graduate ofT. C. Williams High School in Alexandria, where he won threevarsity letters infootball, two inbasketball, and one inbaseball.[3]
Burns lettered in football atNavarro Junior College inCorsicana, Texas, where he garnered first-teamJuCoAll-America honors, and finished his sophomore season with sixsacks, threeinterceptions, and 192tackles.[citation needed]
Burns then transferred toOklahoma State for the 1992–1993 season and immediately made an impact with 126 tackles (102 solo), 5 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles.[4] He was voted captain of the team after just four games and was named the Big Eight Conference's Defensive Newcomer of the Year.[5] Entering his final year at Oklahoma State, he made several pre-season All-America teams and was ranked the No. 1 inside linebacker byThe Sporting News.[6] He was named to the conference's All-Big Eight team both of his years there.[7]
TheDenver Broncos drafted Burns in the seventh round (#210 overall) of the1994 NFL draft.[8] A Bronco for most of his thirteen-year career, Burns saw playing time as a reservelinebacker and a prominentspecial teams player. He spent the1999 season withChicago Bears, and the2004 season withTampa Bay Buccaneers. He won two Super Bowls with the Broncos. For his entire NFL career, Burns played 197 games (3 starts) and totaled 231 special-teams tackles. He also posted 77 career defensive stops (50 solo), 1.5 sacks (9 yds.), one interception (15 yds.), three pass breakups and one forced fumble.[9]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 1994 | DEN | 11 | 1 | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | DEN | 16 | 0 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | DEN | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | DEN | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | DEN | 16 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | CHI | 15 | 0 | 18 | 17 | 1 | 0.0 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | DEN | 13 | 0 | 24 | 21 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | DEN | 16 | 0 | 22 | 19 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | DEN | 16 | 1 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | DEN | 16 | 0 | 27 | 18 | 9 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | TAM | 16 | 0 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | DEN | 15 | 1 | 19 | 16 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | DEN | 15 | 0 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 197 | 3 | 187 | 152 | 35 | 1.5 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | ||
On March 27, 2007, the Broncos announced Burns would retire as Special Teams Captain and assume the role of instructing the special teams. He was given the title of Assistant Special Teams Coach in 2011.
Burns was hired by theWashington Redskins to be their Special Teams Coordinator on February 11, 2013.[3] In moving to Washington, he rejoinedMike Shanahan who was his coach in Denver and who also gave Burns his first coaching job. In his first coaching position Keith Burns'sSpecial Teams unit struggled during2013 season. According toFootball Outsiders, under Burns's leadership, the Washington Redskins' Special Teams unit finished the 2013 regular season ranked last in points compared to league average.[10] After less than a year in the position, Keith Burns was dismissed by theWashington Redskins on December 30, 2013, along withMike Shanahan.[11]
Burns met his wife, Michelle, at college. They have three children together. His oldest daughter, Danielle is a star for the women's basketball team at Fordham University, wearing number 22. Danielle earned her master's degree in just four years, having graduated in three years. His other daughter Rachel is currently a member of Charleston Southern. His son Keith is still in High School. In Keith Burns's off time, he has performed stand-up comedy routines around the country.[2]