LOS ANGELES -- Leon Burns, who set rushing records at Cal State Long Beach and later played in the NFL with San Diego and St. Louis, was shot and killed outside a South Los Angeles apartment complex, police said Tuesday.
Burns, 42, was found by two companions early Saturday at the rear of the complex. He was shot once in the chest and police speculated robbery was the motive.
The Long Beach Press Telegram reported Tuesday that Burns and his two companions had allegedly gone to the complex to purchase cocaine at an apartment that had been converted into a 'rock house,' a heavily fortified location where a pure form of cocaine is sold.
During the 1969 and 1970 seasons at Cal State Long Beach, Burns ran for 2,692 yards and scored 284 points, both school records that have yet to be broken. But despite his accomplishments on the field, Burns got almost as much attention for his troubled past.
Cal State Long Beach Coach Jim Stangeland recruited Burns from Laney College in Oakland, where the 6-foot-2, 235-pound former weightlifter played for two years after serving four years of a prison sentence for a robbery conviction.
Burns always maintained he was innocent and was convicted without all the facts being known.
While at Long Beach, Burns majored in political science and talked often of becoming an attorney. He had apparently developed an interest in the law while filing appeals of his robbery conviction.
The San Diego Chargers picked Burns in the first round of the 1971 college draft, but his pro career was short and undistinguished. After his first season with San Diego he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. He ended his career with the Portland Storm of the now-defunct World Football League.
'I've often wondered what kind of professional career Leon would have had if he'd started at a younger age,' said Stangeland. 'He was a 29-year-old rookie, which means he lost five or six years.'
Burns is survived by his wife and three children. Funeral services are scheduled Friday at 11 a.m. at Baker's Mortuary in Oakland.
