{{Short description|American gridiron football player (born 1965)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox NFL biography | name = Tony Burse | number = 34, 28 | position = Running back | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1965|4|4}} | birth_place = LaFayette, Georgia, U.S. | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 0 | weight_lb = 220 | high_school = LaFayette | college = Middle Tennessee State | draftyear = 1987 | draftround = 12 | draftpick = 324 | pastteams = * Seattle Seahawks ({{NFL Year|1987}}) * Miami Dolphins ({{NFL Year|1988}}) * Seattle Seahawks ({{NFL Year|1989}})* * Sacramento Surge (1991–1992) * Dallas Cowboys ({{NFL Year|1992}})* * Detroit Drive/Massachusetts Marauders ({{AFL Year|1993}}–{{AFL Year|1994}}) * Sacramento Gold Miners ({{CFL Year|1994}}) * San Antonio Texans ({{CFL Year|1995}}) * Edmonton Eskimos ({{CFL Year|1996}}–{{CFL Year|1998}}) * San Jose SaberCats (1999)* * Buffalo Destroyers ({{AFL Year|1999}}) * Toronto Argonauts ({{CFL Year|1999}}) * Buffalo Destroyers ({{AFL Year|2000}}) * Toronto Argonauts ({{CFL Year|2000}}) * Buffalo Destroyers ({{AFL Year|2001}}) | highlights = * Second-team All-Arena (1994) | statlabel1 = Rushing yards | statvalue1 = 36 | statlabel2 = Rushing average | statvalue2 = 5.1 | aflstatlabel1 = Rushing yards | aflstatvalue1 = 347 | aflstatlabel2 = Rushing touchdowns | aflstatvalue2 = 20 | aflstatlabel3 = Tackles | aflstatvalue3 = 34.5 | aflstatlabel4 = Passes defended | aflstatvalue4 = 10 | pfr = B/BursTo20 | afl = 235 }}
'''Tony Lee "Bursz" Burse''' (born April 4, 1965) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for one season with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Seahawks in the 12th round of the 1987 NFL draft. He played college football for the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. Burse was also a member of the Miami Dolphins, Sacramento Surge, Detroit Drive/Massachusetts Marauders, Sacramento Gold Miners/San Antonio Texans, Edmonton Eskimos, San Jose SaberCats, Buffalo Destroyers and Toronto Argonauts.
==Early life and college== Tony Lee Burse was born April 4, 1965, on LaFayette, Georgia. He attended LaFayette High School in LaFayette, Georgia.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/players/b/burs00200.html | title=TONY BURSE | publisher=profootballarchives.com | accessdate=May 21, 2025 }}</ref>
Burse played at Middle Tennessee State University for the Blue Raiders from 1983 to 1986.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.totalfootballstats.com/PlayerRB.asp?id=1205503 | title=Tony Burse | publisher=totalfootballstats.com | accessdate=July 29, 2016 | url-status=bot: unknown | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729150654/http://www.totalfootballstats.com/PlayerRB.asp?id=1205503 | archivedate=July 29, 2016 }}</ref>
==Professional career== {{NFL predraft | height ft = 6 | height in = 0 | weight = 220 | dash = 4.71 | ten split = 1.61 | twenty split = 2.72 | shuttle = 4.88 | vertical = 27.5 | broad ft = 8 | broad in = 8 | bench = 20 | arm span = 30 1/2 | hand span = 9 1/2 }}
Burse was selected by the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL in the 12th round with the 324th overall pick in the 1987 NFL draft.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1987 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1987/draft.htm |access-date=2023-10-01 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> He was released by the Seahawks in August 1988.<ref name="A">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-08-13-sp-874-story.html |title=Seahawks' Burse Fails Drug Test, Out 30 Days |work=Los Angeles Times |date=August 13, 1989 |access-date=January 2, 2015 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102191011/http://articles.latimes.com/1989-08-13/sports/sp-874_1_drug-test |archive-date=January 2, 2015 }}</ref> He signed with the NFL's Miami Dolphins later in 1988.<ref name="B">{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=368&dat=19890823&id=R_wyAAAAIBAJ&pg=6840,1133038 | title=Tony Burse is waived by Seattle | work=Walker County Messenger | date=August 23, 1989 | accessdate=2 January 2015}}</ref> Burse re-signed with the Seattle Seahawks on March 31, 1989. He was suspended for 30 days on August 12, 1989 for violating the league's substance abuse policy for the second time.<ref name="B"/> He had earlier failed a drug test during the 1988 off-season.<ref name="A"/> Burse was released by the Seahawks on August 16, 1989.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-08-17-sp-708-story.html |title=Names in the News |work=Los Angeles Times |date=August 17, 1989 |access-date=January 2, 2015 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102194200/http://articles.latimes.com/1989-08-17/sports/sp-708_1_substance-abuse-policy |archive-date=January 2, 2015 }}</ref> He played for the Sacramento Surge of the World League of American Football from 1991 to 1992.<ref name="C">{{cite web | url=http://www.justsportsstats.com/footballstatsindex.php?player_id=burseton001 | title=Tony Burse | work=StatsCrew.com | accessdate=January 2, 2015}}</ref> He played for the Detroit Drive/Massachusetts Marauders of the Arena Football League (AFL) from 1993 to 1994, earring Second Team All-Arena honors in 1994.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.arenafan.com/players/?page=players&player=235&pageview=bio | title=Tony Burse | publisher=arenafan.com | accessdate=January 2, 2015}}</ref> Burse played for the Sacramento Gold Miners/San Antonio Texans of the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 1994 to 1995.<ref name="C"/> He played for the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL from 1996 to 1998.<ref name="C"/> He spent time with the San Jose SaberCats of the AFL in 1999.<ref name="D">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/13/sports/transactions-743372.html |title=Transactions |work=New York Times |date=March 13, 1999 |accessdate=January 2, 2015 |url-status=unfit |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102194948/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/13/sports/transactions-743372.html |archivedate=January 2, 2015 }}</ref> Burse and Melvin Phillips were traded to the Buffalo Destroyers for Mark Grieb on March 12, 1999.<ref name="D"/> He was placed on the exempt list on October 26, 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/27/sports/transactions-151670.html:https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/27/sports/transactions-151670.html |title=Transactions |work=New York Times |date=October 27, 1999 |accessdate=January 2, 2015 }}</ref> He played for the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL in 1999.<ref name="C"/> Burse played for the Buffalo Destroyers in 2000.<ref name="C"/> He played for the Toronto Argonauts in 2000.<ref name="C"/> He last played for the Buffalo Destroyers in 2001.<ref name="C"/>
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== *[http://www.justsportsstats.com/footballstatsindex.php?player_id=burseton001 Stats Crew profile] *[http://www.totalfootballstats.com/PlayerRB.asp?id=1205503 totalfootballstats.com]
{{Seahawks1987DraftPicks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burse, Tony}} Category:Living people Category:1965 births Category:Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:American football running backs Category:Canadian football running backs Category:Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football players Category:Seattle Seahawks players Category:Miami Dolphins players Category:Sacramento Surge players Category:Detroit Drive players Category:Massachusetts Marauders players Category:Sacramento Gold Miners players Category:San Antonio Texans players Category:Edmonton Elks players Category:San Jose SaberCats players Category:Buffalo Destroyers players Category:Toronto Argonauts players Category:People from LaFayette, Georgia Category:Sportspeople from Walker County, Georgia Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen Category:21st-century American sportsmen Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen Category:20th-century American sportsmen