Ken Burrow

Kenneth Robert Burrow (born March 29, 1948) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for five seasons for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He gained a total of 2,693 yards during his NFL career, scoring 21 touchdowns.

Biography

Ken Burrow was born March 29, 1948, in Richmond, California. He attended high school at De Anza High School in that Northern California city. At the time of his graduation from high school, he was offered a contract to play baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who sought to sign him as a catcher.

Burrow set the league on fire as a rookie in 1971, setting the mark for the best receiving day by a National Football Conference receiver not one but twice — accumulating 190 receiving yards in an October 3 game against the Detroit Lions and again in the final game of the year at New Orleans. He finished the year with 741 yards in the air, second-most in tam history to Paul Flatley and his 834 yards in 1969. All the more remarkable, he accomplished this feat with a fractured wrist, injured in his impressive Week 3 performance against the Lions when he rolled over at the end of a 66 yard passing play.

Burrow played his entire 5-year NFL career with the Falcons, starting a total of 61 games. The team never made the playoffs until 1978, three years after his retirement.

NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high

Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1971 ATL 14 14 33 741 22.5 84 6 1972 ATL 14 14 29 492 17.0 40 5 1973 ATL 9 8 31 567 18.3 57 7 1974 ATL 14 14 34 545 16.0 48 1 1975 ATL 13 11 25 323 12.9 23 2 64 61 152 2,668 17.6 84 21