Francis Hardon Burr (September 15, 1886 – December 5, 1910) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player. He was a first-team All-American

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

in 1906 and captain of the 1908 Harvard Crimson football team. After he died of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

in 1910, the Francis H. Burr Award was established in his honor.

Biography

Burr was raised in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton, A ...

, the son of Herman M. Burr. He attended the Phillips-Andover Academy before enrolling at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1905. He was a starter at the

position for the Harvard football team for four years from 1905 to 1908 and also did the punting and place-kicking for the team. He was selected as a first-team All-American in 1906 and as the captain of the 1908 Harvard football team. In addition to playing four years on the football team, Burr also competed for two years on Harvard's track team, one year on the baseball team and one year on the tennis team. He was also the first marshal of his class and president of his freshman class. In 1909, he enrolled at Harvard Law School, and in 1910, he became the chief lineman coach at Harvard while in his second year as a law student. In early October 1910, he became ill with

. He died at Des Brisay Hospital in December 1910 at age 24 after his third relapse. Burr's funeral was held at the Appleton Chapel in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

, and all recitations at Harvard were suspended for one hour on the day of his funeral. In 1914, Burr's friends established the Francis H. Burr Award in his honor. The award was given each year to a senior, selected by the Dean of Harvard College and the Chairman of the Athletic Committee, who "combines as nearly as possible Burr's remarkable qualities of character, leadership, scholarship, and athletic ability." Past recipients of the Francis H. Burr Award include Henry Dunker (1924), J.P. Chase (1927), F. J. Mardulier (1929), Vernon Munroe Jr. (1930), Barry Wood (1931), Richard Ames (1933), Chester Litman (1934), Richard H. Sullivan (1938), Loren G. MacKinney (1941), Gary Singleterry, and Richard K. Hausler.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burr, Francis 1886 births 1910 deaths American football guards Harvard Crimson football players All-American college football players Phillips Academy alumni Sportspeople from Brookline, Massachusetts Players of American football from Massachusetts Deaths from typhoid fever