SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – Family shared with KY3 the passing of former Arkansas Razorbacks football star and Missouri State Bears handball coach Tommy Burnett.
Burnett suffered from Parkinson’s.
The Smackover, Ark. native became a star on the 1964 Arkansas Razorbacks National Championship football team. Burnett played wide receiver for the legendary Coach Frank Broyles.
The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Burnett out of college. A few years later, he won a Super Bowl with the New York Jets in 1969. He returned to school after professional football, earning his PhD.
Burnett spent more than four decades as a member of the Missouri State University faculty. He started the school’s handball program in 1987. He won 32 combined national collegiate titles leading the club sport team.
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame inducted him in 2008.
Watch Ozarks Sports Zone Interview with Burnett: https://www.ozarkssportszone.com/2017/08/14/video-tommy-burnett-talks-about-playing-for-arkansas-legendary-coach-frank-broyles/
