{{short description|American water polo player (1928–1990)}} {{Infobox sportsperson | image = BurnsMarvinWaterPolo.png | imagesize = | caption = Burns at 22 in 1960 | nationality = | sport = Water polo<br>Center Forward |disability = |disability_class = | event = | club = Whittier Swim Club Polo Team<br>Lynwood Swim Club | collegeteam=Fullerton Junior College<br>UCLA | coach = James R. Smith<br>(Fullerton) | birth_date = {{birth date|1928|7|6}} | birth_place = Santa Ana, California, United States | death_date = {{death date and age|1990|6|24|1928|7|6}} | death_place = Fullerton, California | retired= | height = 193 cm | weight = 93 kg | pb = | medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry|{{flagu|United States}}}} {{MedalCompetition|Pan American Games}} {{MedalSilver|1955 Mexico City|Men's tournament}} {{MedalBronze|1951 Buenos Aires|Men's tournament}} }} '''Marvin Duane "Ace" Burns''' (July 6, 1928 – June 24, 1990) was an American water polo player who competed for Fullerton Junior College, the University of Southern California and the Whittier Swim Club Polo Team, and played for the U.S. in both the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Olympedia – Marvin Burns |url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/54900 |access-date=2023-10-26 |website=www.olympedia.org}}</ref>
==Education and water polo== Burns was born in Santa Ana, California on July 6, 1928, and attended Fullerton High School.<ref name=obit/> He swam and played water polo for the Fullerton Junior College Hornets where he was managed by Hall of Fame Coach James R. "Jimmy" Smith.<ref name=Whittier>"Whittier Kings of Water Polo Eye Pan Games", ''The Los Angeles Times'', Los Angeles, California, 17 September 1950, pg. 65</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Marvin Duane BURNS |url=https://olympics.com/en/athletes/marvin-duane-burns |access-date=October 26, 2023 |website=olympics.com}}</ref><ref name=Olympedia>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/54900|title=Olympedia, Olympic Bio, Marvin Burns|access-date=20 July 2024}}</ref> He also played for the Whittier Swim Club Water Polo Team which won the National AAU Water Polo Championship in a 4–1 overtime match in August 1949, with Burns scoring a critical goal while playing Center Forward.<ref>"Winners Pocket Title with 4-1 Victory", ''South Gate Daily Press-Tribune'', South Gate, California, 15 August 1949, pg. 5</ref> In 1947, while playing for Fullerton Junior College, Burns was named first string Center Forward on the All Southern California team, and scored 25 goals in the season.<ref>Daniel, John, ''The Press Box'', ''Anaheim Bulletin'', Anaheim, California, 4 December 1947, pg. 8</ref><ref>"Sports Horizon", ''The Whittier News, Sports'', Whittier, California, 24 December 1947, pg. 11</ref> For the 1947–48, school year, he ran for Fullerton Junior College treasurer.<ref>"Fullerton College Electing Officers", ''The Register'', Santa Ana, California, 4 June 1947, pg. 6</ref><ref name=swam>Burns also swam for Fullerton in "Bear Aquatic Team Nips Foe", ''The San Francisco Examiner'', San Francisco, California, 9 March 1947, pg. 27</ref>
After Fullerton, Burns played water polo for the University of Southern California Trojans, where he was twice named an All-American. He graduated with a B.A. in 1952, and later completed a Doctorate in Dentistry in 1960.<ref name=obit/><ref name=Olympedia/><ref name=obit2>"Obituary, Burns, Dr. Martin "Ace"", ''The Los Angeles Times'', Los Angeles, California, 27 June 1990, pg. 187</ref>
By 1950, Burns continued to play for the Whittier Swim Club polo team, which was at times referred to as the Whittier-Fullerton swim club and was coached by Heber Halloway.<ref name=Whittier/>
==Olympic competition== Burns was a member of the American water polo team which finished fourth in the 1952 Olympics.<ref>{{Cite web |title=HELSINKI 1952 WATER POLO MEN RESULTS |url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/helsinki-1952/results/water-polo/water-polo-men |access-date=October 26, 2023 |website=olympics.com}}</ref> He played five matches. Eight years later he finished seventh with the American team at the 1960 Olympics.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ROME 1960 WATER POLO MEN RESULTS |url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/rome-1960/results/water-polo/water-polo-men |access-date=October 26, 2023 |website=olympics.com}}</ref> Again he played five matches.<ref name=Olympedia/>
He competed as part of the American team at the 1951 and 1955 Pan American Games, that placed third in 1951 winning a bronze medal,<ref>{{Cite web |title=1st PAN AMERICAN GAMES BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA |url=https://www.panamsports.org/downloads/pdf/panamgames/1951-buenos-aires-tomo-2.pdf |access-date=October 26, 2023 |website=panamsports.org}}</ref> and second in 1955, winning a silver medal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Segundos Juegos Deportivos Panamericanos |url=https://www.panamsports.org/downloads/pdf/panamgames/1955-mexico-lq.pdf |access-date=October 26, 2023 |website=panamsports.org}}</ref><ref name=":0" />
He enjoyed the sport of bodysurfing and was a frequent age-group finalist in the Championships for World Bodysurfing. He later had a career as a dentist.<ref name=Olympedia/>
Burns died June 24, 1990 of cancer in Fullerton, California, where he had been a lifelong resident. He was survived by his wife, Jeremy and two daughters.<ref name=obit2/> Services were held at Fullerton's Emmanuel Episcopal Church.<ref name=obit>"Newswire, Flutie Will Play", ''The Los Angeles Times'', Los Angeles, California, 26 June 1990, pg. 139</ref>
==Honors== In 1977, he was inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web|title=Marvin 'Ace' D Burns (1977) |url=https://usawaterpolo.org/hof.aspx?hof=215 |website=usawaterpolo.org |publisher=USA Water Polo |access-date=18 September 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Hall of Fame Inductees |url=https://usawaterpolo.org/sports/2018/11/28/trads-hof-inductees-html.aspx |website=usawaterpolo.org |publisher=USA Water Polo |access-date=18 September 2020 }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Sports links}}
{{United States men's water polo squad 1952 Summer Olympics}} {{United States men's water polo squad 1960 Summer Olympics}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burns, Marvin}} Category:1928 births Category:1990 deaths Category:Sportspeople from Santa Ana, California Category:USC Trojans men's water polo players Category:American male water polo players Category:Olympic water polo players for the United States Category:Water polo players at the 1952 Summer Olympics Category:Water polo players at the 1960 Summer Olympics Category:Water polo players at the 1951 Pan American Games Category:Water polo players at the 1955 Pan American Games Category:Medalists at the 1951 Pan American Games Category:Medalists at the 1955 Pan American Games Category:Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in water polo Category:Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in water polo Category:20th-century American sportsmen