 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1935-03-09)March 9, 1935 Eudora, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Died | March 26, 2010(2010-03-26) (aged 75) University Place, Washington, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Career information | |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 1961: 3rd round, 27th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Career history | |
| 1961–1962 | Hawaii Chiefs |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats atBasketball Reference  | |
Franklin Douglas Burgess[1] (March 9, 1935 – March 26, 2010) was an American professionalbasketball player andUnited States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Washington.
Burgess was born inEudora,Arkansas.[2] A man with a good sense of humor, he once described his hometown as being so small that "the only fast food we had in that town was if you hit adeer going 70 (miles per hour)."[3] He attended Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal College (Arkansas AM&N), a small school now known as theUniversity of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, for one year while also playing on the basketball team.[4] He then joined theAir Force and spent a four-year tour of duty inEurope.[4] Burgess still played basketball even in Germany and was so good that he was picked to be one of the 10 best Air Force players in the world.[4] While stationed at Hahn Air Force Base he averaged 33.4 points per game.[4] It was during this time that Burgess met Mel Porter, a fellow American Air Force officer andGonzaga University alumnus.[4] Porter recognized Burgess' talent and played middle man to Burgess and theGonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball coach,Hank Anderson.[4] Although Burgess had also started to receive serious interest fromKansas andUSC, he ultimately chose to attend Gonzaga because he felt that that school would get him the most prepared for life after basketball.[3][4] "You have to remember, I had gotten out of the service, and I was married with twin girls. I was about getting an education and taking care of my family," he said to a newspaper reporter later in his life.[3]
Burgess matriculated at Gonzaga University in the fall of 1958 after his stint in the Air Force had ended.[2] He spent three years at Gonzaga, from 1958–59 to 1960–61. He led the Bulldogs in scoring all three seasons, scored 40 or more points in a game seven times with a career-high 52 points againstUC Davis,led the NCAA in scoring in 1960–61 with a 32.4 points per game average, and finished as the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,196 points.[2] He receivedAll-American honors in both hisjunior andsenior seasons, while in his senior year he was aconsensus Second Team All-American.[2] Although his Gonzaga career ended in 1961, Burgess is etched in the records book at the school, including:[4][5]
Career | Season
| Game
|
Frank Burgess | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Senior Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Washington | |
| In office March 9, 2005 – March 26, 2010 | |
| Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Washington | |
| In office March 28, 1994 – March 9, 2005 | |
| Appointed by | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Jack Edward Tanner |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Settle |
| Magistrate Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Washington | |
| In office 1981–1993 | |
| Personal details | |
| Education | Gonzaga University (BA,JD) |
Burgess graduated with a degree in education in the spring of 1961 and was then drafted by theLos Angeles Lakers of theNational Basketball Association.[3] He instead chose to play in the fledglingAmerican Basketball League with theHawaii Chiefs, but after two years the league folded. He decided to go back to school and enrolled at theGonzaga University School of Law, where he graduated near the top of his class despite working the midnight shift for Washington Water Power.[2][3]
From 1966 to 1967, Burgess was a Legal intern for theUnited States Atomic Energy Commission.[4] After six months, he became an assistant city attorney ofTacoma, Washington until 1969.[4] Burgess then spent the next 11 years (until 1980) as a private practice lawyer withJack Edward Tanner. He was a Judge pro tem, Municipal Court and Pierce County District Court during that time.[4] From 1980 to 1981, Burgess was a regional counsel for the Department of Housing and Urban Development inSeattle, and then became a U.S. Magistrate in theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Washington from 1981 to 1993.[4]
Burgess became a United States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Washington when PresidentBill Clinton nominated him on November 19, 1993, to a seat vacated byJack Edward Tanner. He was confirmed by theUnited States Senate on March 25, 1994, and received his commission on March 28, 1994. Burgess assumedsenior status on March 9, 2005.[7]
Burgess died on March 26, 2010, from cancer.[8]
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Washington 1994–2005 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |