Burr Browning Baldwin (June 13, 1922 – August 20, 2007) was an American professional football player. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, and became the school's first player to receive All-American honors. Baldwin played pro football for three years with the Los Angeles Dons of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC).
![]() Baldwin, circa 1946 | |
No. 52 | |
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Position: | End |
Personal information | |
Born: | June 13, 1922 Bakersfield, California, U.S. |
Died: | August 20, 2007 Bakersfield, California, U.S. | (aged 85)
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
Weight: | 197 lb (89 kg) |
Career information | |
High school: | Bakersfield (CA) |
College: | UCLA |
NFL draft: | 1947 / Round: 3 / Pick: 20 |
Career history | |
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Career highlights and awards | |
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Player stats at PFR |
Biography
editBaldwin attended Bakersfield High School in Bakersfield, California. He attended college at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he played for the Bruins as an end from 1940 to 1942. In 1943, he put his education and playing career on hiatus to enter the U.S. Army during World War II. He served from May 1943 to July 1946 and became an infantry captain in three campaigns in the European theater of operations.[1]
After the war, he returned to UCLA,[2] and in 1946, became the first UCLA football player to earn All-America honors. He played in two Rose Bowls for UCLA and in 1947 was drafted by the Green Bay Packers.[3]
After college, Baldwin played professional football with the Los Angeles Dons from 1947 to 1949. He returned to military service during the Korean War from 1951 to 1953.[2] Baldwin spent fifty years working as an insurance broker before he retired in July 2007.[4] He died at his home in Bakersfield on August 20, 2007, of complications due to cancer.[5] The Bob Elias Kern County Sports Hall of Fame inducted Baldwin in February 1969.[2]
References
edit- ^ "Burr Baldwin Regarded as Finest End U.C.L.A. Coach Ever Possessed", volume 59, number 67, The Bakersfield Californian, October 16, 1946, page 13.
- ^ a b c Burr Baldwin, Bob Elias Kern County Sports Hall of Fame, retrieved June 11, 2011.
- ^ "Burr Baldwin". Pro-Football-Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
- ^ "Burr Baldwin passes away". UCLA All Access. August 21, 2009. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
- ^ "Obituaries - Burr Baldwin, 85; first UCLA football star to be consensus All-American". Los Angeles Times. August 23, 2007. Retrieved July 20, 2009.