Halfback, Buffalo
Bills
Age: 23
College: Arkansas
Height: 6’2” Weight: 208
Prelude:
A college
tailback who rushed for 1282 yards, including 947 as a senior, Burnett was
taken by the Bills in the fourth round of the 1966 AFL draft (as well as in the
10th round of the NFL draft by the Chicago Bears). While fast, he lacked
experience as a blocker, but made a quick adjustment to the pro game and moved
into the starting backfield.
1966 Season Summary
Appeared in all
14 games
[Bracketed numbers
indicate league rank in Top 20]
Rushing
Attempts – 187
[3]
Most
attempts, game – 27 (for 138 yds.) vs. San Diego 10/16
Yards – 766 [4]
Most yards,
game – 138 yards (on 27 carries) vs. San Diego 10/16
Average gain
– 4.1 [8]
TDs – 4 [10,
tied with four others]
100-yard
rushing games – 1
Pass
Receiving
Receptions – 34
[18]
Most
receptions, game – 5 (for 54 yds.) vs. Boston 10/8, (for 25 yds.) at NY Jets
10/30
Yards – 419
Most yards,
game – 82 (on 3 catches) at Oakland 11/24
Average gain
– 12.3
TDs – 4 [13,
tied with nine others]
Scoring
TDs – 8 [11,
tied with four others]
Points – 48 [20,
tied with four others]
Postseason: 1 G (AFL Championship vs. Kansas
City)
Rushing
attempts – 3
Rushing yards
– 6
Average gain
rushing – 2.0
Rushing TDs –
0
Pass receptions
– 6
Pass
receiving yards – 127
Average yards
per reception – 21.2
Pass
Receiving TDs - 0
Awards & Honors:
AFL Rookie of
the Year: UPI
1st team
All-AFL: NY Daily News
2nd
team All-AFL: League, AP, NEA, UPI
AFL All-Star
Game
Bills went 9-4-1
to finish first in the AFL Eastern Division. Lost AFL Championship to Kansas
City Chiefs (31-7).
Aftermath:
Burnett
suffered cracked ribs during training camp in 1967 and then a major knee injury
during a season in which he was limited to 96 rushing yards and 11 pass
receptions. He was chosen by the Cincinnati Bengals in the expansion draft for
the 1968 season but, with his knee still in recovery, Burnett never played for
them. He joined the Denver Broncos for 1969, lasted three games, and retired,
with the knee injury having effectively ended his pro career after the
outstanding rookie campaign. Beyond his rookie statistics, he gained just 105
yards on 50 carries (2.1 avg.) and caught 11 passes for 114 yards, scoring no
further touchdowns.
--
Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were named Rookie
of the Year in the NFL, AFL (1960-69), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized
organization (Associated Press – Offense or Defense, Newspaper Enterprise
Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, or the league
itself – Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year).
