Gary Burley
American football player (born 1952)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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)
Urbancrest, Ohio, U.S.
Burley in 2011 | |||||||
| No. 67, 73 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Defensive end | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | December 8, 1952 Urbancrest, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
| Listed weight | 272 lb (123 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | Grove City (Grove City, Ohio) | ||||||
| College | Pittsburgh | ||||||
| NFL draft | 1976: 3rd round, 55th overall pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||
| |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
| |||||||
He played for the Bengals from 1976 to 1983,[1] and the Atlanta Falcons in 1984.[1]
Early life
Gary Burley graduated from Grove City High School in Grove City, Ohio, near Columbus, in 1971.[2]
College career
After 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
Burley 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
In 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
Between 2011 and 2015, Burley survived several life-threatening ailments including cancer, a bone marrow transplant, a bout of salmonella poisoning in his knee that put him in a wheelchair for six months,[7] and the loss of a kidney.[8] After 3 years of dialysis he received a kidney transplant and became an advocate for organ donations.[9]
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]