JOE BURNS

Joe Burns was the star running back on Thomas County Central teams that won 1996-97 state championships and a key figure in Georgia Tech teams that scored four winning seasons and four bowl bids in 1998-2001 under coach George O’Leary. As a high school senior, Burns was the 1997 AJC and GSWA all-classification Player of the Year as he led Thomas County Central to the Class AAA championship with a 15-0 record. Burns rushed for 1,940 yards, including 234 yards with two touchdowns in a 21-19 championship victory over Burke County. As a junior in 1996, Burns was the 1996 GSWA Class AAA Player of the Year and AJC Offensive Player of the Year and led Thomas County Central to the AAA championship with a 14-1 record. He rushed for 2,006 yards that year and 5,006 for his career and scored 68 touchdowns. He also played on Thomas County Central’s 1994 championship team as a freshman. At Georgia Tech, Burns was a 1,000-yard rusher and first-team All-ACC pick in 2001. Tech was 35-14 with three victories over Georgia in Burns’ four seasons. Burns left Tech as the fourth-leading rusher (2,634 yards) and second-leading touchdown scorer (34) in school history. Burns played four NFL seasons with the Buffalo Bills. In retirement, Burns started the Rising Seniors Foundation to help prepare aspiring college athletes for college sports. He was inducted into the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.