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).
.jpg) Burley in 2011 | |||||||
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| Position: | Defensive end | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | December 8, 1952 Urbancrest, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 272 lb (123 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Grove City (Grove City, Ohio) | ||||||
| College: | Pittsburgh | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 1976 / round: 3 / pick: 55 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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He played for the Bengals from 1976 to 1983,[1] and the Atlanta Falcons in 1984.[1]
Early life
editGary Burley graduated from Grove City High School in Grove City, Ohio, near Columbus, in 1971.[2]
College career
editAfter high school, Burley played football in 1971 and 1972 at Wharton County Junior College in Wharton, Texas.[3] Burley was offered a scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh,[4] where he was named a first-team All-American in 1974.[5]
Professional career
editBurley 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.[6]
His 9th and final NFL season was with the Atlanta Falcons, playing 12 games, starting 8.[6]
After football
editIn 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".[7]
Personal life
editBetween 2011 and 2015, Burley survived life-threatening ailments including cancer, a bone marrow transplant, the loss of a kidney[8]—after 3 years of dialysis he received a kidney transplant and became an advocate for organ donations[9]—and a bout of salmonella poisoning in his knee that put him in a wheelchair for six months. His wife is Bobbie Knight, a longtime Alabama Power executive and the president of Miles College.[10][11] They reside in Birmingham, Alabama.[12]
He hosts the Gary Burley Charity Golf Tournament at Greystone Country Club to benefit cancer research.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b "Gary Burley Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ Messenger, Southwest (February 18, 2016). "Super Bowl Honor Roll". Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ "Corsicana Daily Sun 15 Oct 1971, page Page 9". Newspapers.com. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ "The Pittsburgh Press 19 Sep 1973, page Page 57". Newspapers.com. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ "113124 Football Media Guide 2021 (PDF)" (PDF). pittsburghpanthers.com. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ a b "Gary Burley Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ Williams, Roy L. (July 10, 2015). "Gary Burley of Pro Start Academy shares his story at Aldridge Gardens". HooverSun.com. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Roy S. (January 9, 2016). "Ex-Bengal talks Steelers, McCarron, 'Concussion'". al. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ Gooden, Ashley (May 12, 2019). "City of Birmingham employee gives new life to former NFL player". WBMA. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ Williams, Roy L. (July 10, 2015). "Gary Burley of Pro Start Academy shares his story at Aldridge Gardens". HooverSun.com. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ Beahm, Anna (March 6, 2020). "Bobbie Knight named permanent president of Miles College". al. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ a b Times, Birmingham (October 20, 2016). "Cancer survivor Gary Burley: 'Early detection is the key'". Retrieved October 27, 2023.