Ken Burrough
{{Short description|American football player (1948–2022)}}
{{For|the Atlanta Falcons wide receiver|Ken Burrow}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Ken Burrough
| image =
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| number = 00
| position = Wide receiver
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1948|7|14}}
| birth_place = Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2022|2|24|1948|7|14}}
| death_place = Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 3
| weight_lb = 215
| high_school = William M. Raines
(Jacksonville, Florida)
| college = Texas Southern
| draftyear = 1970
| draftround = 1
| draftpick = 10
| pastteams =
- New Orleans Saints ({{NFL Year|1970}})
- Houston Oilers ({{NFL Year|1971|1981}})
| highlights =
- Second-team All-Pro (1977)
- 2× Pro Bowl (1975, 1977)
- NFL receiving yards leader (1975)
- Second-team All-American (1969)
| statlabel1 = Receptions
| statvalue1 = 421
| statlabel2 = Receiving yards
| statvalue2 = 7,102
| statlabel3 = Receiving touchdowns
| statvalue3 = 49
| pfr = BurrKe00
}}
Kenneth Othell Burrough (July 14, 1948 – February 24, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Houston Oilers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Southern Tigers and was named second-team All-American in 1969.
He was a track star and played as a quarterback at William M. Raines High School.{{cite news|last=Weir|first=Tom|title=Super heroes fly home to Jacksonville|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/eagles/2005-01-30-raines-players_x.htm|access-date=April 12, 2011|newspaper=USA Today|date=January 31, 2005}} He is amongst the four players in the NFL for wear 00, others were Jim Otto, Johnny Clement and Steve Bagarus.
Career
Burrough was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round (10th overall) of the 1970 NFL draft.{{cite web |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1970/draft.htm |title=1970 NFL Draft |website=pro-football-reference.com |access-date=February 25, 2022}} He missed much playing time his first season due to minor injuries, catching only 13 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns. In January 1971, Burrough and fellow Saint player Dave Rowe were traded to the Oilers in exchange for Hoyle Granger, Terry Stoepel, Charles Blossom, and a draft choice to be named later.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/01/26/archives/oilers-granger-traded-to-saints-houston-gets-burrough-and-rowe-in.html |title=Oilers' Granger Traded to Saints |date=January 26, 1971 |work=The New York Times |agency=Associated Press |access-date=February 25, 2022}}
Burrough played eleven seasons with the Oilers, from 1971 through 1981. In 1975, Burrough was selected to the Pro Bowl, leading all NFL wide receivers with 1,063 receiving yards, the only receiver to gain more than a thousand yards for the season. He scored eight touchdowns that year, and averaged 20.1 yards per reception. In his book, More Distant Memories: Pro Football's Best Ever Players of the 50s, 60s, and 70s, Danny Jones wrote that Burrough was "one of the most dangerous game breakers in the NFL along with Cliff Branch (Raiders), Mel Gray (Cardinals), and O. J. Simpson (Bills)." Six of Burrough's eight touchdowns were of 50 or greater yards. In a week thirteen game against the playoff-bound Raiders, Burrough caught four passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns, including a screen pass from quarterback Dan Pastorini which he turned into a 68-yard touchdown with his open field running skills.[https://books.google.com/books?id=fXudPzJ1vPgC&dq=%22one+of+the+most+dangerous+game+breakers+in+the+NFL+along+with+Cliff+Branch%2C+Mel+Gray%2C+and+O.J.+Simpson%22&pg=PA35 More Distant Memories: Pro Football's Best Ever Players of the 50s, 60s, and 70s], Danny Jones; Bloomington, Indiana, U.S. and Central Milton Keynes, England, UK: AuthorHouse, 2006.
Burrough was also selected to the Pro Bowl in 1977. The Oilers won post-season games in the 1978 and 1979 seasons, making it to the AFC Championship both years, but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the eventual Super Bowl champions.
Burrough was the last of three NFL players to ever wear the number 00 on his jersey. The league restricted all numbers to between 1 and 89 in {{nfly|1973}} (later expanded to 1 and 99 in 1987), but Burrough and Oakland Raiders' center Jim Otto, both of whom wore 00 at the time, were covered under a grandfather clause for the rest of their careers.{{Cite web |date=1990-05-27 |title=THE 00 FAD: IT'S MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1990/05/27/the-00-fad-its-much-ado-about-nothing/ |access-date=2024-04-16 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}} Steve Bagarus, the earliest player to use 00, had already retired after the 1948 NFL season.
Burrough has the third most receiving yards in Oilers/Titans history with 6,906 and tied for third in receiving touchdowns with 47. He ranks 85th on NFL All-Time Yards per Reception List with 16.9 yards per pass reception.
NFL career statistics
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! colspan="2"| Legend |
| style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"|
| Led the league |
| Bold
| Career high |
= Regular season =
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | |||||||
| rowspan="2"| Year
!rowspan="2"| Team !colspan="2"| Games !colspan="5"| Receiving | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |
| 1970 | NOR
| 12 || 0 || 13 || 196 || 15.1 || 35 || 2 | ||||||
| 1971 | HOU
| 13 || 0 || 25 || 370 || 14.8 || 62 || 1 | ||||||
| 1972 | HOU
| 14 || 11 || 26 || 521 || 20.0 || 80 || 4 | ||||||
| 1973 | HOU
| 14 || 12 || 43 || 577 || 13.4 || 49 || 2 | ||||||
| 1974 | HOU
| 11 || 11 || 36 || 492 || 13.7 || 51 || 2 | ||||||
| 1975 | HOU
| 14 || 14 || 53 || style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"| 1,063 || 20.1 || 77 || 8 | ||||||
| 1976 | HOU
| 14 || 14 || 51 || 932 || 18.3 || 69 || 7 | ||||||
| 1977 | HOU
| 14 || 14 || 43 || 816 || 19.0 || 85 || 8 | ||||||
| 1978 | HOU
| 16 || 16 || 47 || 624 || 13.3 || 44 || 2 | ||||||
| 1979 | HOU
| 16 || 16 || 40 || 752 || 18.8 || 55 || 6 | ||||||
| 1980 | HOU
| 2 || 0 || 4 || 91 || 22.8 || 54 || 0 | ||||||
| 1981 | HOU
| 16 || 16 || 40 || 668 || 16.7 || 71 || 7 | ||||||
| colspan="2"| | 156 | 124 | 421 | 7,102 | 16.9 | 85 | 49 |
= Playoffs =
Later life and death
In 2016, Burrough was inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame.[http://www.jacksonville.com/article/20160317/SPORTS/801245110 Former Raines QB Ken Burrough headed to Black College Football Hall of Fame], Florida Times-Union, March 17, 2016.
Burrough died in Jacksonville, Florida, on February 24, 2022, at the age of 73.{{cite news |url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/texans/article/Former-Oilers-wide-receiver-Kenny-Burrough-dies-16944441.php|title=Former Oilers wide receiver Kenny Burrough dies at 73 |last=McClain |first=John |date=February 24, 2022 |work=Houston Chronicle |access-date=February 24, 2022}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Footballstats |nfl=ken-burrough |cfl= |afl= |espn= |cbs= |yahoo= |fox= |si= |pfr=BurrKe00 |dbf= |rotoworld=}}
{{1970 NFL Draft}}
{{SaintsFirstPick}}
{{Saints1970DraftPicks}}
{{NFL receiving yardage leaders}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burrough, Ken}}
Category:Players of American football from Jacksonville, Florida
Category:William M. Raines High School alumni
Category:American football wide receivers
Category:Texas Southern Tigers football players
Category:New Orleans Saints players