Kurt Burris (June 27, 1932 – July 21, 1999) was an American gridiron football

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he was an All-American and finished second in the 1954 Heisman Trophy balloting. In 2000, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Burris was selected in the

1955 NFL Draft The 1955 National Football League draft was held January 27–28, 1955 at the Warwick Hotel in New York City. This was the ninth year that the first overall pick was a bonus pick determined by lottery. With the previous eight winners ineligib ...

by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...

, but he went to the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

, where he played for five seasons. Burris had five brothers who also played football at Oklahoma, including three time All-American Paul "Buddy" Burris. Burris died on July 21, 1999 in

Billings, Montana Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Met ...

. He was 67.

References

1932 births 1999 deaths All-American college football players American football centers Calgary Stampeders players College Football Hall of Fame inductees Edmonton Elks players Oklahoma Sooners football players People from Nowata, Oklahoma Players of American football from Oklahoma Saskatchewan Roughriders players {{offensive-lineman-1930s-stub