Maurice Lennon "Dick" Burrus (born January 29, 1898, in

Hatteras, North Carolina Hatteras is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in Dare County, North Carolina, United States, on the Outer Banks island of Hatteras, at its extreme southwestern tip. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 504. Imme ...

died February 2, 1972, in

Elizabeth City, North Carolina Elizabeth City is a city in Pasquotank County, North Carolina, Pasquotank County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 18,629. Elizabeth City is the county seat and largest city of Pasquotank County. It ...

) was a professional

baseball player Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

Early years

Burrus was born in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

Outer Banks The Outer Banks (frequently abbreviated OBX) are a string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separating ...

, where his family had lived for generations, to sea captain Dozier Burrus and Achsah Williams. When he was eleven, the family moved to Elizabeth City so that he could further his education. It was at Elizabeth City High School that Burrus was first introduced to baseball, playing pitcher and catcher for the school team. On the recommendation of one of his teachers, Burrus finished his high school education at Oak Ridge Academy, where he was eventually named to the school's All-Time Baseball Hall of Fame. Upon his graduation from the academy, Burrus studied textile engineering at

North Carolina State College North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...

. His education was partially funded by athletic scholarships, with the remainder paid from the proceeds of his summer and weekend jobs in construction and at the local iron works and dry docks. Burrus interrupted his education for two years to join the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, serving at

Camp Gordon Fort Gordon, formerly known as Camp Gordon, is a United States Army installation established in October 1941. It is the current home of the United States Army Signal Corps, United States Army Cyber Command, and the Cyber Center of Excellence. It ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. He returned to NC State to letter in three sports.

Baseball career

In 1919, Burrus left college to begin his professional baseball career. He joined the minor league

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

as a first baseman for the

Columbia Comers The Columbia Comers were a minor league baseball team, based in Columbia, South Carolina and played in the South Atlantic League. Columbia's first professional team was known as the Senators and played in the short-lived first South Atlantic Le ...

, and was paid $3000. Two months later, he was signed by

Connie Mack Cornelius McGillicuddy (December 22, 1862 – February 8, 1956), better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball catcher, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds untoucha ...

to play for the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...

. Because of inconsistent fielding, Burrus was sent to

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

in the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

, before being sold to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, where he helped win the

Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cl ...

pennant. In 1925, Burrus returned to the majors, playing for the

Boston Braves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

. That season he batted .340 with 200 hits, 41 doubles and 87 RBIs, all career-bests. He also led all National League first basemen in fielding with a .990 percentage in 151 games. Later that year, Burrus suffered a hernia and was never able to play at the same level. His contract was sold to the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...

for $10,000. He helped that team win the AA pennant. He later played for the

Houston Buffaloes The Houston Buffaloes, Houston Buffalos, or Buffs were an American minor league baseball team, and were the first minor league team to be affiliated with a Major League Baseball, Major League franchise, which was the St. Louis Cardinals. The clu ...

, and in 1930 was released for good by Atlanta. During his best years, his salary only reached as high as $9000.

Post-baseball

After his baseball career ended, Burrus returned to his native

. He served as a county commissioner, and worked as a fish buyer and

Texaco Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") is an American Petroleum, oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its Gasoline, fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an Indepe ...

distributor until his retirement in 1962. He then moved to

Currituck County, North Carolina Currituck County ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

Dixie Dixie, also known as Dixieland or Dixie's Land, is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. While there is no official definition of this region (and the included areas shift over the years), or the extent of the area it cover ...

and

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

, and nine grandchildren.

Sources

Interview with Maurice Burrus and biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burrus, Dick 1898 births 1972 deaths People from Dare County, North Carolina Baseball players from North Carolina Boston Braves players Philadelphia Athletics players Major League Baseball first basemen NC State Wolfpack baseball players Deaths from lung cancer People from Elizabeth City, North Carolina