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For the second straight year, a member of the LaGrange High football program is heading to the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame. Last year, it was Tray Blackmon. This year, it’s Jimmy Burson (class of ‘59).

Burson was an all-state player in baseball, basketball and football and helped put the Granger football team on the map. 

As a senior, he helped the Grangers to their second-ever state championship in 1958.

Burson was named a high school All-American, participated in several National High School All-American games and received prestigious honors, including All Georgia, All Region, and being named the AJC AAA Running Back of the Year as a senior. 

Burson was not short of college offers coming out of high school, choosing Auburn over Georgia in a difficult decision that was swayed by a visit from legendary coach Erk Russell, who was on the Tigers’ staff at the time.

Burson was not the only member of that Granger team that went to Auburn, as he signed to play alongside co-captain Gary Johnson. 

It was not an easy time for Burson at Auburn as the former Granger battled through various injuries, including a detached retina and a broken leg as a senior. Despite these setbacks, Burson still had a big impact at Auburn. 

Burson finished with 890 scrimmage yards across three seasons (he redshirted his freshman year). He was a “triple-threat” for the Tigers, playing defense and also returning kicks and punts, including taking a kickoff 105 yards to the house in a 10-0 win over Chattanooga in 1960. 

As a defensive back, he ran an interception for a touchdown against Florida in 1961 and led the Tigers in interceptions the following year with four.

After college, Burson was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals and played there for five years before being traded to the Washington Redskins and then the Atlanta Falcons. Burson played defensive back at the professional level and intercepted 12 passes during his time as a Cardinal, and led the Falcons in interceptions with four during his final year in the NFL (1968).

After his NFL career ended, Burson spent over 30 years teaching and coaching football in the state of Georgia, including a 12-year stint as head coach at Milton High School. 

Burson sadly passed away in 2022 at the age of 81 and never got to see his name in the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame, but his legacy in LaGrange and the state of Georgia will live on.