Dick Burrus
From BR Bullpen
Maurice Lennon Burrus
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 5' 11", Weight 175 lb.
- School North Carolina State University
- Debut June 23, 1919
- Final Game August 21, 1928
- Born January 29, 1898 in Hatteras, NC USA
- Died February 2, 1972 in Elizabeth City, NC USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Dick Burrus, known also as Maurice Burrus in his minor league days and in his non-baseball life, is best noted for his 1925 season, when he hit .340 with 41 doubles at age 27 for the Boston Braves managed by Dave Bancroft. He had broken into the majors at age 21 with the 1919 Philadelphia Athletics, but after 1919 and 1920 with them, he was out of the majors till 1925. He was primarily a first baseman, but he later said his fielding was "rotten" in those early days with the Athletics.
He went to Elizabeth City High School where he was a pitcher and occasional catcher. He later spent time at Oak Ridge Preparatory School and Furman University. He was a three-sport star at North Carolina State University in 1919, the year he came up to the majors. His college major at North Carolina State was textile engineering. In the summer of 1919 he spent time in the South Atlantic League, hitting .390.
He spent two years in the army, which interrupted his college education.
In between 1920 and 1925, he spent time in the minors, first with Columbus of the American Association and then with Atlanta of the Southern Association.
It is said he developed a hernia shortly after his 1925 season and never was as good a player after that. He later played in the minors at Indianapolis, Houston, and Atlanta.
After his playing days he was a Texaco distributor, a fish buyer, and a county commissioner.
He was born in Hatteras, NC, on an island off the coast of North Carolina. During World War II, he was part of a delegation of citizens from Hatteras who lobbied the governor for a road from the mainland to the island. He brought some shad for the governor. His daughters wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Bronewyn Williams. Their books focused on life on the Outer Banks. There is a Maurice Burrus Road in Buxton, NC, a few miles away from Hatteras.
