Willie Burden
| No. 10 | |
| Date of birth | July 21, 1951 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Date of death | December 4, 2015 (aged 64) |
| Place of death | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Career information | |
| CFL status | International |
| Position(s) | RB |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| College | North Carolina State |
| High school | William G. Enloe |
| NFL draft | 1974 / Round: 6 / Pick: 139 |
| Drafted by | Detroit Lions |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1974–1981 | Calgary Stampeders |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| CFL All-Star | 1975 |
| CFL West All-Star | 1975, 1977 |
| Awards | 1975 CFL MOP |
| Career stats | |
Willie Burden (July 21, 1951 – December 4, 2015) was a professional Canadian football player with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League, who subsequently became an academic and sports administrator.
Burden, a running back, was made a member of the Calgary Stampeder's Wall of Fame in 1992, and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2006, Burden was voted to the Honour Roll of the CFL's top 50 players of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN.
Following an outstanding high school football career at Raleigh's William G. Enloe High School, Burden attended North Carolina State University, where he played from 1971 to 1973 on scholarship. He rushed for 2,529 yards, 7th best in Wolfpack history. He was the 1973 Atlantic Coast Conference Football Player of the Year. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Economics.
Following graduation, Burden was drafted twice in 1974, by the NFL's Detroit Lions in the 6th round (139th overall) and by the World Football League's Portland Storm, in the 17th round (198 overall.) Canada was eventually his professional football destination.
The Calgary Stampeders would be Burden's home for eight seasons, between 1974 and 1981. He thrilled fans in his first season, rushing for 541 yards on 94 carries, but it was in his second season that he broke team and league records. He set a new CFL single season rushing record, running 332 times for 1896 yards. He also set a CFL record with 2,127 yards from scrimmage and led the league with 2,387 all-purpose yards and 15 total touchdowns. His best day was November 2 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, when he tied Lovell Coleman's team record of 238 yards in a game. Burden was rewarded with the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award and All Canadian All Star honours in 1975. His 1975 record of 'most rushing yards in the first 5 games of a season' was beaten by Kory Sheets in 2013. Burden was also named an All West All Star in 1977.
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