North Carolina State University Athletics
CARR: Willie Burden is an ACC Legend
11/9/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
BY AJ CARR
The distance from Willie Burden’s house in Raleigh to NC State’s campus was three miles.
Turns out, taking that short journey to play football for the hometown Wolfpack helped propel the young running back and NC State a long way.
Even if Burden had traveled thousands of miles instead of three looking for a school, chances are he wouldn’t have found a better fit. And chances are State wouldn’t have found a ball carrier that better suited its system.
In those days, the early 1970s, Burden -- now on the faculty at Georgia Southern University -- gave opponents the willies.
Darting. Durable. Dangerous. That was Burden, who led the ACC in rushing in 1973 with 1,014 yards, earned conference Player-of-the-Year honors, and helped State win the conference championship and beat Kansas in the Liberty Bowl.
Later, after getting drafted and subsequently cut by the Detroit Lions, he went to Canada and turned Calgary into his Camelot. During an eight-year pro career, Burden gained 6,234 rushing yards and became a Canadian Football League legend.
That's partly why Dr. Willie Burden -- still a humble hero -- will be honored as one of the ACC Legends during the league’s championship game Dec. 5 in Tampa, Fla.
“He was a great player, a great person, a very positive leader,’’ said Lou Holtz, who coached Burden at State. “They couldn’t honor a better legend.”
After those halcyon playing days, Burden didn’t fade away. He earned a masters degree in sports administration at Ohio University, a PhD at Tennessee State, served eight years as an athletic director at N.C. A&T, and now is in his 11th year as associate professor of sports management at Georgia Southern.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
He hasn’t forgotten his roots and the people who helped him get there.
As a youngster in Rocky Mount, Burden often was in the farm fields before breakfast with his dad, John, developing a work ethic. When he turned 12, his mother, Emily, initiated a family move to Raleigh and the focus changed.
It was then, at Thompson Elementary School, that little Willie learned to play ball. Hooked on sports, he developed into a standout at Enloe High and watched Wolfpack football and basketball games.
“Charley [Young] and I went on recruiting trips together,’‘ Burden said. “Most schools were after Charley. I was tagging along. We both wanted to stay close to Raleigh and it worked out well for both of us [at State].”
Burden was recruited by Earle Edwards’ staff, played one year for Al Michaels, and toiled his final two seasons for The Quipper -- Lou Holtz, also known as ESPN’s Dr. Lou.
“What a guy,’’ a laughing Burden said of the colorful Holtz. “His strategy, his tactics, his offense fit our skills. Everything came together and we turned the program around.”
After going 3-8 in ’71, Burden and the Pack went 8-3-1 in ’72, Holtz’ first year, and won the Peach Bowl. The sequel in ‘73 was even better, with State defeating rival North Carolina on the way to the ACC championship.
That turnaround was especially gratifying for Burden, who hadn’t won a conference title or ever beaten the Tar Heels. That he had gotten thrown out of a freshman game against Carolina further fueled his competitive fire.
“I wasn’t a dirty player,’’ Burden explained. “I was double-teamed, trying to get free from two guys and inadvertently lashed an elbow at one. We lost badly. That just intensified the rivalry.”
When Holtz arrived and installed his split-back veer offense, Burden became part of the “Stallions” backfield that included quarterback Dave Buckey, fullback Stan Fritts and halfbacks Roland Hooks and Young.
In addition to ball-carrying skills, Burden was a likable teammate with an ebullient spirit, a hearty laugh, affable out-going personality and willingness to play with pain.
“He hurt his shoulder in a game at Georgia,’’ Holtz recalled. “He wanted to go back in. He wanted to help the team. That impressed me. I said: ‘No, you’ve got too good of a future to risk further injury.’”
OH CANADA!
Picked by Detroit in the sixth round of the 1974 NFL draft, Burden experienced frustration and failure. Arriving at the Lions camp with a questionable knee, he saw limited action and got cut.
Disappointed, but not deterred, he connected with Calgary’s Stampeders in the CFL...and began to stampede.
At 5-10, 205 pounds, Burden set a league single-season rushing record in 1975, rambling for 1,896 yards and winning CFL Player of the Year honors.
At the end of his career Calgary retired his No. 10 jersey and etched his name on the team’s Wall of Fame. Later he was enshrined in the CFL’s Hall of Fame.
“I think it was Divine Intervention; God had a better plan,’’ Burden said of his winding up in Canada. “I had the best experience anyone could have for eight years. I have no complaints. I’m just thankful.”
Calgary lineman John Helton, another CFL Hall of Famer, applauded his former teammate.
“Willie wasn’t the fastest, but had tremendous heart,’’ Helton said. “He played with a turf toe parts of the ’77 and ’78 seasons. He was hard nosed... an excellent running back.
“He’s a great person,’’ Helton added. “If something happened to me, I would want my boys to go to him and ask him about issues of life.”
In fact, Helton once asked Burden to write a letter to his boys, share with them the rewards of hard work and emphasize other life values.
Willie did.
BACK TO SCHOOL
During his pro career, Burden continued preparing for life after football, working with State’s athletic department in the off-seasons.
His interest in sports administration had been sparked years earlier by then Wolfpack athletics director Willis Casey and former assistant AD Frank Weedon.
“Willis and Frank took a keen interest in me,’’ Burden said, appreciatively. “They moved me around, making sure I learned the entire business. That’s why I’m where I am today.”
GEORGIA ON MY MIND
Burden’s career can’t be measured by touchdowns and rushing totals. There’s more to the man than nifty numbers.
As a professor of sports management, he tries to help students much in the manner Casey and Weedon guided him, often taking them on educational trips. One outing included a visit to the Jacksonville Jaguars, where Burden said they could see "first hand" how a franchise operated.
Along with his wife, Velma, the school’s associate registrar, Burden is involved in community events as well. The couple's priorities include assuming an active role at Elm Street Church of God and following their boys’ football careers.
Oldest son, Willie Jr., is a freshmen and reserve defensive end at Georgia Southern. Freddie plays tackle on the high school team. Daughter Courtney lives in Raleigh, where Burden was inducted in the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame last spring.
Folks who don’t know about Burden’s football fame won’t find out from him.
“He never talks about his accolades,’’ said Georgia Southern professor, Dr. Drew Zwald, a long-time friend.
Zwald added that Burden’s connection with students is something special.
“He lights up a room and gets you thinking positive,’’ said Zwald. “The rapport he gains in such a short time is so important and exciting to see. The students really respond to him. He’s a great role model.”
Despite a full agenda, Burden is never too busy to help friends. For example, when Zwald’s wife died unexpectedly four years ago, Willie and Velma were there, consoling, nurturing him during the grieving period.
“They helped me get through it,’’ Zwald said.
At age 58, Burden has lost a step, a reminder that time tackles even the toughest backs. He ambles across campus now with a slight limp and rides a cart during golfing rounds.
But old timers still have memories of an earlier era. Back then, Burden didn’t amble. Back then he stampeded like a “Stallion” and wound up a Legend.
The distance from Willie Burden’s house in Raleigh to NC State’s campus was three miles.
Turns out, taking that short journey to play football for the hometown Wolfpack helped propel the young running back and NC State a long way.
Even if Burden had traveled thousands of miles instead of three looking for a school, chances are he wouldn’t have found a better fit. And chances are State wouldn’t have found a ball carrier that better suited its system.
In those days, the early 1970s, Burden -- now on the faculty at Georgia Southern University -- gave opponents the willies.
Darting. Durable. Dangerous. That was Burden, who led the ACC in rushing in 1973 with 1,014 yards, earned conference Player-of-the-Year honors, and helped State win the conference championship and beat Kansas in the Liberty Bowl.
Later, after getting drafted and subsequently cut by the Detroit Lions, he went to Canada and turned Calgary into his Camelot. During an eight-year pro career, Burden gained 6,234 rushing yards and became a Canadian Football League legend.
That's partly why Dr. Willie Burden -- still a humble hero -- will be honored as one of the ACC Legends during the league’s championship game Dec. 5 in Tampa, Fla.
“He was a great player, a great person, a very positive leader,’’ said Lou Holtz, who coached Burden at State. “They couldn’t honor a better legend.”
After those halcyon playing days, Burden didn’t fade away. He earned a masters degree in sports administration at Ohio University, a PhD at Tennessee State, served eight years as an athletic director at N.C. A&T, and now is in his 11th year as associate professor of sports management at Georgia Southern.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
He hasn’t forgotten his roots and the people who helped him get there.
As a youngster in Rocky Mount, Burden often was in the farm fields before breakfast with his dad, John, developing a work ethic. When he turned 12, his mother, Emily, initiated a family move to Raleigh and the focus changed.
It was then, at Thompson Elementary School, that little Willie learned to play ball. Hooked on sports, he developed into a standout at Enloe High and watched Wolfpack football and basketball games.
“Charley [Young] and I went on recruiting trips together,’‘ Burden said. “Most schools were after Charley. I was tagging along. We both wanted to stay close to Raleigh and it worked out well for both of us [at State].”
Burden was recruited by Earle Edwards’ staff, played one year for Al Michaels, and toiled his final two seasons for The Quipper -- Lou Holtz, also known as ESPN’s Dr. Lou.
“What a guy,’’ a laughing Burden said of the colorful Holtz. “His strategy, his tactics, his offense fit our skills. Everything came together and we turned the program around.”
After going 3-8 in ’71, Burden and the Pack went 8-3-1 in ’72, Holtz’ first year, and won the Peach Bowl. The sequel in ‘73 was even better, with State defeating rival North Carolina on the way to the ACC championship.
That turnaround was especially gratifying for Burden, who hadn’t won a conference title or ever beaten the Tar Heels. That he had gotten thrown out of a freshman game against Carolina further fueled his competitive fire.
“I wasn’t a dirty player,’’ Burden explained. “I was double-teamed, trying to get free from two guys and inadvertently lashed an elbow at one. We lost badly. That just intensified the rivalry.”
When Holtz arrived and installed his split-back veer offense, Burden became part of the “Stallions” backfield that included quarterback Dave Buckey, fullback Stan Fritts and halfbacks Roland Hooks and Young.
In addition to ball-carrying skills, Burden was a likable teammate with an ebullient spirit, a hearty laugh, affable out-going personality and willingness to play with pain.
“He hurt his shoulder in a game at Georgia,’’ Holtz recalled. “He wanted to go back in. He wanted to help the team. That impressed me. I said: ‘No, you’ve got too good of a future to risk further injury.’”
OH CANADA!
Picked by Detroit in the sixth round of the 1974 NFL draft, Burden experienced frustration and failure. Arriving at the Lions camp with a questionable knee, he saw limited action and got cut.
Disappointed, but not deterred, he connected with Calgary’s Stampeders in the CFL...and began to stampede.
At 5-10, 205 pounds, Burden set a league single-season rushing record in 1975, rambling for 1,896 yards and winning CFL Player of the Year honors.
At the end of his career Calgary retired his No. 10 jersey and etched his name on the team’s Wall of Fame. Later he was enshrined in the CFL’s Hall of Fame.
“I think it was Divine Intervention; God had a better plan,’’ Burden said of his winding up in Canada. “I had the best experience anyone could have for eight years. I have no complaints. I’m just thankful.”
Calgary lineman John Helton, another CFL Hall of Famer, applauded his former teammate.
“Willie wasn’t the fastest, but had tremendous heart,’’ Helton said. “He played with a turf toe parts of the ’77 and ’78 seasons. He was hard nosed... an excellent running back.
“He’s a great person,’’ Helton added. “If something happened to me, I would want my boys to go to him and ask him about issues of life.”
In fact, Helton once asked Burden to write a letter to his boys, share with them the rewards of hard work and emphasize other life values.
Willie did.
BACK TO SCHOOL
During his pro career, Burden continued preparing for life after football, working with State’s athletic department in the off-seasons.
His interest in sports administration had been sparked years earlier by then Wolfpack athletics director Willis Casey and former assistant AD Frank Weedon.
“Willis and Frank took a keen interest in me,’’ Burden said, appreciatively. “They moved me around, making sure I learned the entire business. That’s why I’m where I am today.”
GEORGIA ON MY MIND
Burden’s career can’t be measured by touchdowns and rushing totals. There’s more to the man than nifty numbers.
As a professor of sports management, he tries to help students much in the manner Casey and Weedon guided him, often taking them on educational trips. One outing included a visit to the Jacksonville Jaguars, where Burden said they could see "first hand" how a franchise operated.
Along with his wife, Velma, the school’s associate registrar, Burden is involved in community events as well. The couple's priorities include assuming an active role at Elm Street Church of God and following their boys’ football careers.
Oldest son, Willie Jr., is a freshmen and reserve defensive end at Georgia Southern. Freddie plays tackle on the high school team. Daughter Courtney lives in Raleigh, where Burden was inducted in the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame last spring.
Folks who don’t know about Burden’s football fame won’t find out from him.
“He never talks about his accolades,’’ said Georgia Southern professor, Dr. Drew Zwald, a long-time friend.
Zwald added that Burden’s connection with students is something special.
“He lights up a room and gets you thinking positive,’’ said Zwald. “The rapport he gains in such a short time is so important and exciting to see. The students really respond to him. He’s a great role model.”
Despite a full agenda, Burden is never too busy to help friends. For example, when Zwald’s wife died unexpectedly four years ago, Willie and Velma were there, consoling, nurturing him during the grieving period.
“They helped me get through it,’’ Zwald said.
At age 58, Burden has lost a step, a reminder that time tackles even the toughest backs. He ambles across campus now with a slight limp and rides a cart during golfing rounds.
But old timers still have memories of an earlier era. Back then, Burden didn’t amble. Back then he stampeded like a “Stallion” and wound up a Legend.
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