University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
William T. Burns 1922 - Baseball
A starting outfielder for the Catamount baseball team for three seasons, Bill Burns was considered one of the best defensive players to play for Vermont. Burns, a 1981 Hall of Fame inductee, also established a UVM single-game record of five stolen bases in one game against Syracuse in 1920, which still stands.
"I haven't seen an outfielder of his caliber anywhere in college ball," said Jack Conley, former professional player and Middlebury attorney. "He could do anything on the baseball diamond - this being the main reason we never beat them."
Following UVM Burns played in several semiprofessional leagues. A consulting engineer before his retirement, Burns also was a UVM trustee and a member of the Vermont legislature. He is a former president of the Regional Highway Commission.
