{{Short description|American football player (1935–2022)}} {{Use American English|date=October 2022}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2022}} {{Infobox NFL biography | name = Leon Burton | number = 24 | position = Halfback | birth_date = {{birth date|1935|3|13}} | birth_place = Flint, Michigan, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2022|10|7|1935|3|13}} | death_place = Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | height_ft = 5 | height_in = 9 | weight_lb = 172 | high_school = Flint Northern | college = Arizona State | draftyear = 1958 | draftround = 8 | draftpick = 87 | pastteams = * San Francisco 49ers ({{NFL Year|1959}})* * New York Titans (1960) * Ottawa Rough Riders ({{CFL Year|1963}})* | statleague = AFL | statlabel1 = Rushing yards | statvalue1 = 119 | statlabel2 = Rushing average | statvalue2 = 7.4 | statlabel3 = Receptions | statvalue3 = 3 | statlabel4 = Receiving yards | statvalue4 = 8 | statlabel5 = Total touchdowns | statvalue5 = 3 | pfr = B/BurtLe00 }}
'''Walter Leon Burton''' (March 13, 1935 – October 7, 2022) was an American professional football player who played 14 games for the New York Titans in one season of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960. He earlier played college football at Arizona State University.
==Early life== Burton was born in Flint, Michigan, on March 13, 1935.<ref name="PFR player">{{cite web|title=Jon Brittenum Stats|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BurtLe00.htm|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|access-date=October 16, 2022}}</ref><ref name=obit>{{cite web|title=W. Burton Obituary|url=https://obits.mlive.com/us/obituaries/grandrapids/name/w-burton-obituary?id=36766067|date=October 11, 2022|access-date=October 16, 2022|newspaper=The Grand Rapids Press|via=Legacy.com}}</ref> He attended Flint Northern High School in his hometown,<ref name="PFR player"/> where he was a member of the football and track and field teams.<ref name=obit/> He then studied at Arizona State University,<ref name="PFR player"/> where he played for the Sun Devils from 1955 to 1958.<ref name=CFB>{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/leon-burton-1.html|title=Leon Burton College Stats|work=Sports-Reference.com|access-date=October 16, 2022}}</ref> He established the school's freshman record with 694 rushing yards in 1955 (a mark that would stand until 2003).<ref>{{cite news|title='Solid Players' Become Standouts – Hagan, Wade Make Impact|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/238339852|page=C8|first=Paul|last=Coro|date=November 29, 2003|access-date=October 16, 2022|newspaper=The Arizona Republic|location=Phoenix|id={{ProQuest|238339852}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Territorial Cup Rewind|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/239067391|page=C4|first=Jeff|last=Metcalfe|date=December 5, 2008|access-date=October 16, 2022|newspaper=The Arizona Republic|location=Phoenix|id={{ProQuest|239067391}}}}</ref> During the 1957 season, Burton led the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in rushing yards (1126), touchdowns (16), points (96), and yards from scrimmage (1320),<ref name=CFB/> while setting an NCAA record of 9.6 yards per carry.<ref name=SDHOF>{{cite web|title=Sun Devil Hall of Fame (Football)|url=https://thesundevils.com/sports/2000/8/16/208252815.aspx|access-date=October 16, 2022|publisher=Arizona State Sun Devils}}</ref><ref name=Eger>{{cite book|title=Maroon & Gold: A History of Sun Devil Athletics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4IX5ac_Q_lQC&pg=PA115|publisher=Sports Publishing LLC|date=September 1, 2001|last=Eger|first=Bob|page=115|isbn=9781582612232}}</ref> The Sun Devils ultimately finished that year undefeated (10–0).<ref name=SDHOF/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/arizona-state/1957.html|title=1957 Arizona State Sun Devils Stats|work=Sports-Reference.com|access-date=October 16, 2022}}</ref> He had the fourth-most touchdowns (11) and points (66) in the NCAA in the following season.<ref name=CFB/> Burton received first team All-Border Conference honors in 1957 and 1958.<ref name=SDHOF/><ref name=Healey>{{cite news|title=Sun Devil Science: All-Decade Team – 1950s|url=https://arizonastate.rivals.com/news/sun-devil-science-all-decade-team-1950s|first=Joe|last=Healey|date=July 3, 2016|access-date=October 16, 2022|website=Rivals.com}}</ref> He finished his college career ranked first all-time in regular-season rushing touchdowns (34),<ref>{{cite news|title=RB Marshall knows the score|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1080962830|page=C7|first=Jeff|last=Metcalfe|date=September 27, 2012|access-date=October 16, 2022|newspaper=The Arizona Republic|location=Phoenix|id={{ProQuest|1080962830}}}}</ref> and second in rushing yards (2994).<ref name=Healey/><ref>{{cite news|title=Richard rushes into ASU's record books|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1967326174|page=C1|first=Jeff|last=Metcalfe|date=November 23, 2017|access-date=October 16, 2022|newspaper=The Arizona Republic|location=Phoenix|id={{ProQuest|1967326174}}}}</ref> He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the eighth round (87th overall) of the 1958 NFL draft.<ref name="PFR player"/>
==Professional career== Burton was released by the 49ers on account of his size and subsequently joined the Toronto Argonauts for one season.<ref name=obit/><ref name=GFAASHOF>{{cite web|title=Leon Burton|url=https://aashof.org/1990/02/12/leon-burton/|access-date=October 16, 2022|publisher=Greater Flint African American Sports Hall of Fame}}</ref> He then signed with the New York Titans and made his AFL debut with the franchise on September 11, 1960, at the age of 25, in a 27–3 win against the Buffalo Bills.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BurtLe00/gamelog/1960/|title=Leon Burton 1960 Game Log|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|access-date=October 15, 2022}}</ref> He recorded the longest kickoff return in franchise history at 101 yards in a game against the Oakland Raiders on October 28 that year,<ref>{{cite news|title=Jets Notes|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/426350522|page=S10|first=Randy|last=Lange|date=October 2, 2006|access-date=October 16, 2022|newspaper=The Record|location=North Jersey|id={{ProQuest|426350522}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196010280nyj.htm|title=October 28, 1960 Oakland Raiders at New York Titans|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|access-date=October 16, 2022}}</ref> which was ultimately the second-longest kickoff return in the league that year.<ref name="PFR player"/> He later became the first Titans player to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in a single season.<ref>{{cite news|title=Free-spirited Miller providing major spark for Jets on kickoffs|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/238107019|page=S10|first=Dennis|last=Waszak|date=November 3, 2006|access-date=October 16, 2022|newspaper=Ocean County Observer|location=Toms River, New Jersey|id={{ProQuest|238107019}}}}</ref> Burton led the AFL in kick returns (30), kick return yards (862), and kick and punt returns (42), while finishing second in kick and punt return yards (955), fifth in punt returns (12), and ninth in punt return yards (93).<ref name="PFR player"/> He went on to play for the Grand Rapids Blazers of the United Football League.<ref name=obit/><ref name=GFAASHOF/> He elected to stay in the town after the league folded and worked for many years with Meijer until retiring in 2000.
==Honors== Burton was inducted into his alma mater's Sports Hall of Fame in 1978.<ref name=SDHOF/><ref name=Healey/> He was later recognized in ASU's Ring of Honor in October 2013.<ref>{{cite news|title=Football greats to be welcomed into ASU's Ring Of Honor at luncheon|url=https://news.asu.edu/content/football-greats-be-welcomed-asu%E2%80%99s-ring-honor-luncheon|date=August 29, 2014|access-date=October 16, 2022|publisher=Arizona State University}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=3 inducted into Ring of Honor|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1449474392|page=C9|date=October 20, 2013|access-date=October 16, 2022|newspaper=The Arizona Republic|location=Phoenix|id={{ProQuest|1449474392}}}}</ref>
==Personal life== Burton's first marriage was to Ellen Marie Collins, who he met in high school, and together they had four children.<ref name=obit/>
Burton died in his sleep on October 7, 2022, in Las Vegas. He was 87 years old.<ref name=obit/>
==See also== * List of NCAA major college football yearly rushing leaders * List of NCAA major college football yearly scoring leaders
==References== {{reflist}}
{{49ers1958DraftPicks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burton, Leon}} Category:1935 births Category:2022 deaths Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen Category:20th-century American sportsmen Category:American football halfbacks Category:Arizona State Sun Devils football players Category:New York Titans (AFL) players Category:Players of American football from Flint, Michigan