| No. 80, 87 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1951-12-15)December 15, 1951 (age 73) Northampton County, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 192 lb (87 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | Purdue | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1975: 1st round, 7th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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 Burton at the 1972 Olympics | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | Sprint |
| Club | Purdue Boilermakers |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbest(s) | 60 yd - 5.9 (1972) 100 yd – 9.3 (1974) 100 m – 10.2 (1972) 200 m – 20.37 (1972)[1] |
Lawrence Godfrey Burton (born December 15, 1951) is an American former professionalfootball player and world-class Olympic sprinter, finishing fourth for theUnited States team in the 200 meter final at the1972 Summer Olympic Games. He held the world record in the 60-yard dash at 5.9 seconds.[1][2]
As a Senior atPurdue University, 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.[3] He was named to numerousAll-American teams.
Burton was selected by theNew Orleans Saints in the first round (7th overall) of the1975 NFL draft; awide receiver fromPurdue University, he played in theNFL for five seasons for the Saints and theSan Diego Chargers between 1975 and 1979. Despite having over 250 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons, he was never able to become a regularstarter for any team.
In 1980, Larry, along with his wife Ida, became Family Teachers atBoys 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.[4]
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."[5]
The Burtons earned the Civic Leader Award, given by the National Academy of Sports and Athletics.
In 2013, Burton was inducted into theVirginia Sports Hall of Fame.
He has 3 children, and Burton's grandsons, Clay andTrey, played football for theFlorida Gators.Trey was a tight end for the Indianapolis Colts, and also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Chicago Bears.
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