Bryan Burnham

Bryan Burnham
No. 16
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1990-04-03) April 3, 1990 (age 34)
Moorestown, New Jersey, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:Moorestown (NJ)
College:Tulsa
Undrafted:2013
Career history
Career highlights and awards

Bryan Burnham (born April 3, 1990) is a former American professional football wide receiver who played nine seasons for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 2014 to 2022. Burnham played college football at the University of Tulsa. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the BC Lions in 2014. He is from Moorestown, New Jersey.

College career

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Burnham played college football for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, the only NCAA Division I school that recruited him.[1] After he developed a serious infection when he cut his arm in practice, he sat out his freshman year with redshirt status in 2008.[1] He played as a defensive back in 2009 and 2010 before switching to the wide receiver position for his junior year. In his first year at that position, Burnham caught 54 receptions for 850 yards and a team-best nine touchdowns. Burnham was injured in the third quarter of the first game of the 2012 season against Iowa State.[2][3] He suffered a torn ACL injury which ended his final year of NCAA eligibility.[4] Tulsa sought a waiver from the NCAA to allow Burnham to compete in his sixth-year given the early timing of his injury, but this request and its appeal were declined.[5]

Professional career

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Burnham was signed as a free agent by BC Lions in May 2014 for the upcoming season. Initially playing on the practice squad, he made his pro debut in Week 13 against the Toronto Argonauts, in which he caught five passes for 90 yards and a touchdown.[6] His season was cut short one week later when he suffered a lacerated spleen.[7][8] In his second season in the CFL Burnham played in 11 games catching 35 passes 423 yards with 2 touchdowns. Burnham had a breakout season in 2016, playing in all 18 games for the first time in his career he set personal bests in catches, yards and touchdowns. His 1,392 receiving yards was fourth highest in the league that year. Burnham was set to become a free agent in February 2017. On December 6, 2016, Burnham had a workout with the Minnesota Vikings,[9] and a workout with the New York Jets on December 15, 2016.[10] According to BC Lions head coach Wally Buono, Burnham had workouts with somewhere between 10 and 12 NFL teams between the end of the 2016 season and January 31, 2017, at which time pending CFL free agents were no longer allowed to work out with NFL teams until their contracts expired on February 14, 2017.[11] On February 10, 2017, Burnham and the Lions agreed to a two-year contract extension.[12] Over the following two seasons Burnham continued to be a key part of the Lions passing attack, catching over 148 passes for 2,231 yards with 16 touchdowns. Identically to two years prior, on February 10, 2019, Burnham and the Lions agreed to a two-year contract extension.[13] He had a career-high 100 receptions for 1,492 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns en route to being named a CFL All-Star.[14] Following the cancellation of the 2020 season Burnham and the Lions agreed to a new contract extension on February 1, 2021.[15] Burnham was once again named a CFL All-Star following the 2021 season, posting 67 receptions for 965 yards and five touchdowns. Burnham suffered a punctured lung and broken ribs on June 25, 2022, and it was announced he would miss the next 3-6 games.[16] Later in the 2022 season he suffered a fractured wrist.[17] He was placed on the six-game injured reserve list on September 26, 2022.[18] Burnham ended up missing half the season with injuries and caught only 41 passes, his lowest total since his second season in the league (2015) in which he caught 35 passes.

On December 6, 2022, Burnham retired from professional football after nine seasons with the Lions.

Season statistics

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Receiving   Regular season   Playoffs
Year Team Games Rec Att Yards Avg Long TD Games No. Yards Avg Long TD
2014 BC 2 6 12 113 18.8 35 1 Did not participate due to injury
2015 BC 11 35 53 423 12.1 47 2 1 1 24 24 24 0
2016 BC 18 79 106 1,392 17.6 55 6 2 5 97 19.4 34 1
2017 BC 16 81 125 1,202 14.8 53 7 Team did not qualify
2018 BC 18 67 109 1,029 15.4 55 9 1 3 35 11.7 12 0
2019 BC 17 100 146 1,492 14.9 56 11 Team did not qualify
2020 BC Season cancelled Season cancelled
2021 BC 14 67 93 965 14.4 61 5 Team did not qualify
2022 BC 9 41 59 569 14.5 53 4 2 6 87 14.5 26 1
CFL totals 105 476 703 7,212 15.2 61 42 6 15 243 16.2 34 2

Personal life

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Burnham's father, Lem Burnham, was a defensive lineman with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1977 to 1979. He also worked as the team psychologist for the Eagles, Philadelphia 76ers and Baltimore Orioles.[1] His brother, Lewis, played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels.[19] He also has two sisters, the eldest Shannon, attended Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania on a basketball scholarship,[1] Kara attended Montclair University in New Jersey where she played both basketball and volleyball. Bryan married his wife, Aubrey Burnham, in April 2018. They currently reside in Oklahoma.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Beamish, Mike (September 24, 2014). "Eagle-eyed sister celebrates Bryan Burnham's first TD with Lions". The Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  2. ^ Taylor, John (September 4, 2012). "Tulsa's top receiver out with season-ending injury". NBC Sports. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  3. ^ "Bryan Burnham". Tulsa Hurricanes. Archived from the original on June 12, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  4. ^ Kuntz, Harold. "Athletes Face Long Recovery From Common ACL Injuries". News on 6. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  5. ^ "NCAA rejects Bryan Burnham appeal". ESPN. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  6. ^ "With injuries mounting, rookie WRs getting a chance with B.C. Lions". The Sports Network. September 24, 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  7. ^ Click highlights and college tabs at "Bryan Burnham". BC Lions. Archived from the original on May 13, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  8. ^ Canadian Press (September 29, 2015). "Andrew Harris out until CFL playoffs with dislocated ankle". CBC.ca. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  9. ^ "Vikings Worked Out 5 CFL Players Including DT Michael Brooks – NFLTradeRumors.co". nfltraderumors.co. December 7, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  10. ^ Sportsnet, Justin DunkJustin Dunk was a five-year starter at quarterback for the University of Guelph He covers the league for; 3DownNation. (December 15, 2016). "Slew of CFL players worked out for New York Jets". 3DownNation. Retrieved December 16, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ "Mike Beamish: Lions have more than a passing interest in re-signing receiver Bryan Burnham". The Province. February 4, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  12. ^ "Lions agree with Burnham on two-year deal – Article – TSN". TSN. February 10, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  13. ^ TSN ca Staff (February 10, 2019). "Lions reportedly re-sign Burnham; re-sign Lee - TSN.ca". TSN. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  14. ^ "Stars Aligned: 2019 CFL All-Stars unveiled". Canadian Football League. November 27, 2019.
  15. ^ "BC Lions re-sign All-Star receiver Bryan Burnham, bring back LB Bo Lokombo for third stint - TSN.ca". TSN. The Canadian Press. February 1, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  16. ^ TSN ca Staff (June 27, 2022). "Lions WR Burnham to miss the next 3-6 weeks - TSN.ca". TSN. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  17. ^ TSN ca Staff (September 25, 2022). "Lions' WR Burnham suffered fractured wrist in loss to Stampeders - TSN.ca". TSN. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  18. ^ 3Down Staff (September 26, 2022). "B.C. Lions place receiver Bryan Burnham on six-game injured list". 3DownNation. Retrieved September 27, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ "LEWIS BURNHAM". goheels.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
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