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Show Scott Burns, record setting quarterback at SUSC Two of the most prestigious football records at Southern Utah State. College-plus a couple of' other marks-have been surpassed by this season's unassuming quarterback. Scott Burns, who is operating not far from his own front doorstep, is not the flashiest passer ever to play for the Thunderbirds. Neither is he dandiest runner. However, Scott does now hold the SUSC total offense record. He is also the most prolific passer. On top of those two major records, Burns has also completed more passes than any other quarterback to play for Southern Utah State College, and he has passed for more touchdowns than any other T-Bird. "Scott has really done the job for us for each of the past three years," Jack Bishop, SUSC coach, says. "He's extremely coachable, he knows how to call plays, and. he'll do anything you ask of him." Burns got his first college starting call in the second game of his sophomore season. Since that time, he has started every game, except one contest this year when he had an ailing shoulder. "I guess I've been lucky," Burns says. "I haven't had any injuries . of any consequence con-sequence in three years of steady playing. Oh, there have been some bruised ribs and things like that, but nothing at all bad." In moving into first place in total offense, Burns passed some pretty illustrious company. "Am I really ahead of all those guys," he asks. Scott has amassed (so far, with three games left this season) 3,425 yards of total offense in his SUSC career. That is 367 yards better than Reid Kimoto (late 1960's) who is in second place. It is also ahead of Jerry Dyer and ' Buck Paopao who had ntoeable careers at SUSC. His career passing yardage yar-dage (3,249 to date) moves him ahead of Paopao and Dyer who now rank second and third. So far in his career, Burns has completed 240 passes, and that's 23 more than Dyer and 24 more than Paopao. Burns already held the ' career touchdown passes record before this season began. He has thrown 27 TD passes; that's nine more than Dyer and 10 more than Tom Kingsford who is in third place. Scott isn't about to take all the credit for himself. "Hey," he says with a knowledge gained through experience, "it's the offensive of-fensive line that's the key to . the whole offense. If you haven't got that, you haven't got anything. You can have the world's best quarterback and the world's best running backs, but they aren't going very far without that offensive of-fensive line." There are two particular games that are fond memories for Burns. One was against Westminster College in Scott's sophomore year (1977). "I was something like 23 completions for 26 passes, and I only played for about two and one-half quarters that day," he recalls. I think I had 280 yards total offense." of-fense." SUSC won that game, 44-27. 44-27. His other favorite memory didn't have nearly so sweet a finish for the SUSC team. "I think we were getting beat abut 44-0 at Adams State," Scott smiles. "It was the third game of my freshman year, and the only reason I got in the game is because we were so far behind." "It was in that game that I tried my first college pass. It was pouring rain, and we were on our own one-yard line. I threw the ball, but it hit a lineman in the back of the head and came right back to me. I caught it and ran for a few yards. It was my first pass, and I compelled com-pelled it to myself. I even got credit on the statistics." Although he is unassuming and although it might be easy for Cedar folks to say, "oh, that's just the Burns boy from down the street," Scott has earned his place among the SUSC elite in the record book. "Scott played over a four-year four-year period during which SUSC compiled its best ever records," Bishop points out. With Burns as the regular quarterback, the Thunderbirds Thun-derbirds had an 8-2 record in ' 1976. Scott was also calling the signals in 1977 when the 'Birds were 7-3. So far this season SUSC is 3-4. That means that during the years Burns was quarterbacking, USSC has won 18 games and lost only nine. Scott does well academically where he carries a 3.7 grade point average (4.0 equals "A"). He is majoring in political science and minoring in English. During his career at Cedar City High School, he also collected a bundle of athletic honors. He lettered three years in football and three years in basketball. He earned all-region recognition and Cedar City offensive player of the year in footbal his senior year. He was an all-region basketball player for two seasons and honorable mention all-stte his senior year. Scott is the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. Harlan Burns, Cedar City. |