{{Short description|American football player (born 1952)}} {{Use American English|date=September 2024}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}} {{Infobox NFL biography | name = Gary Burley | image = Former NFL Player Gary Burley makes a PSA for FEMA (cropped).jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Burley in 2011 | number = 67, 73 | position = Defensive end | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|12|8}} | birth_place = Urbancrest, Ohio, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 3 | weight_lb = 272 | high_school = Grove City <br> (Grove City, Ohio) | college = Pittsburgh | draftyear = 1976 | draftround = 3 | draftpick = 55 | pastteams = * Cincinnati Bengals ({{NFL Year|1976|1983}}) * Atlanta Falcons ({{NFL Year|1984}}) | highlights = * PFWA All-Rookie Team (1976) * First-team All-American (1974) * First-team All-East (1974) | statlabel1 = Sacks | statvalue1 = 37 | statlabel2 = Safeties | statvalue2 = 1 | pfr = B/BurlGa20 }}

'''Gary Steven Burley''' (born December 8, 1952) is an American former professional football player who played as a defensive end for the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL).

He played for the Bengals from 1976 to 1983,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BurlGa20.htm|title = Gary Burley Stats| website=Pro-Football-Reference.com }}</ref> and the Atlanta Falcons in 1984.<ref name=":0" />

==Early life== Gary Burley graduated from Grove City High School in Grove City, Ohio, near Columbus, in 1971.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.columbusmessenger.com/super-bowl-honor-roll.html|title=Super Bowl Honor Roll|first=Southwest|last=Messenger|date=18 February 2016|accessdate=27 October 2023}}</ref>

==College career== After high school, Burley played football in 1971 and 1972 at Wharton County Junior College in Wharton, Texas.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/42632901/|title=Corsicana Daily Sun 15 Oct 1971, page Page 9|website=Newspapers.com|accessdate=27 October 2023}}</ref> Burley was offered a scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/147764923/|title=The Pittsburgh Press 19 Sep 1973, page Page 57|website=Newspapers.com|accessdate=27 October 2023}}</ref> where he was named a first-team All-American in 1974.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pittsburghpanthers.com/documents/2021/7/20//113124_Football_Media_Guide_2021.pdf?id=22520|title=113124 Football Media Guide 2021 (PDF)|website=pittsburghpanthers.com|accessdate=27 October 2023}}</ref>

==Professional career== Burley was selected by the Bengals in the third round (55th overall) of the 1975 NFL draft. He was named to the 1976 NFL All-Rookie Team. He played in Super Bowl XVI in 1982, with the Bengals losing 26–21 to the San Francisco 49ers. In 8 seasons with Cincinnati, he played in 117 games, started 67, including all but 3 games his first 4 seasons.<ref name="pro-football-reference.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BurlGa20.htm|title=Gary Burley Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College|website=Pro-Football-Reference.com|accessdate=27 October 2023}}</ref>

His 9th and final NFL season was with the Atlanta Falcons, playing 12 games, starting 8.<ref name="pro-football-reference.com"/>

==After football== In 2006, Burley founded the Pro Start Academy, a Birmingham, Alabama-based organization that "mentors young athletes and provides tips on how they can achieve success on and off the football field".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Williams|first=Roy L.|date=2015-07-10|title=Gary Burley of Pro Start Academy shares his story at Aldridge Gardens|url=https://hooversun.com/api/content/1550f530-2752-11e5-9f9d-22000b078648/|access-date=2020-07-28|website=HooverSun.com|language=en-us}}</ref>

==Personal life== Between 2011 and 2015, Burley survived several life-threatening ailments including cancer, a bone marrow transplant, a bout of salmonella poisoning in his knee that put him in a wheelchair for six months,<ref name=":1"/> and the loss of a kidney.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.al.com/sports/2016/01/ex-bengal_gary_burley_recalls.html|title=Ex-Bengal talks Steelers, McCarron, 'Concussion'|first=Roy S. |last=Johnson|date=9 January 2016|website=al|accessdate=27 October 2023}}</ref> After 3 years of dialysis he received a kidney transplant and became an advocate for organ donations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abc3340.com/news/local/city-of-birmingham-employee-gives-new-life-to-former-nfl-player|title=City of Birmingham employee gives new life to former NFL player|first=Ashley|last=Gooden|date=12 May 2019|website=WBMA|accessdate=27 October 2023}}</ref>

His wife is Bobbie Knight, a longtime Alabama Power executive and the president of Miles College.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hooversun.com/api/content/1550f530-2752-11e5-9f9d-22000b078648/|title=Gary Burley of Pro Start Academy shares his story at Aldridge Gardens|first=Roy L.|last=Williams|date=10 July 2015|website=HooverSun.com|accessdate=27 October 2023}}</ref><ref name="Beahm">{{Cite web |last=Beahm |first=Anna |date=2020-03-06 |title=Bobbie Knight named permanent president of Miles College |url=https://www.al.com/news/2020/03/bobbi-knight-named-permanent-president-of-miles-college.html |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=al |language=en}}</ref> They reside in Birmingham, Alabama.<ref name="birminghamtimes.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.birminghamtimes.com/2016/10/cancer-survivor-gary-burley-early-detection-is-the-key/|title=Cancer survivor Gary Burley: 'Early detection is the key'|first=Birmingham|last=Times|date=20 October 2016|accessdate=27 October 2023}}</ref>

He hosts the Gary Burley Charity Golf Tournament at Greystone Country Club to benefit cancer research.<ref name="birminghamtimes.com"/>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{Bengals1975DraftPicks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burley, Gary}} Category:1952 births Category:American football defensive linemen Category:Living people Category:Cincinnati Bengals players Category:Atlanta Falcons players Category:Pittsburgh Panthers football players Category:Players of American football from Columbus, Ohio Category:Wharton County Pioneers athletes Category:20th-century American sportsmen