Harry Clifton Burrus Jr. (April 6, 1921 – September 20, 2004) was an American football halfback. Burrus was born in Texas in 1921 and attended Big Spring High School in

Big Spring, Texas Big Spring is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Texas, United States, at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 87 and Interstate 20. With a population of 27,282 as of the 2010 census, it is the largest city between Midland to the west, A ...

, graduating in 1937. He played college football at Hardin–Simmons, graduating in 1941. While at Hardin-Simmons, he was selected as a Little All-American. During World War II, he served in the Army Air Force, attained the rank of captain, and played on the Randolph Field Ramblers football team. He played professional football in the

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the ...

for the New York Yankees in 1946 and 1947 and for the Chicago Cardinals and

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

in 1948. He appeared in 38 professional football games, nine of them as a starter, and tallied 28 receptions for 670 yards and four touchdowns. In 1949, he was hired by Washington University in St. Louis as an assistant professor of physical education and assistant football coach. He became athletic director at Washington University in 1958. He left Washington University in 1966 for a post at Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa. He served as the tennis coach at Parsons. He died in 2004 in Winter Haven, Florida.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burrus, Harry 1921 births 2004 deaths American football halfbacks New York Yankees (AAFC) players Chicago Rockets players Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL) players Hardin–Simmons Cowboys football players Players of American football from Texas United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II United States Army Air Forces officers Washington University in St. Louis faculty Washington University Bears football coaches Washington University Bears athletic directors