Joe Burnett facts for kids

Joe Burnett, born on November 28, 1986, is a former American professional football player. He was a cornerback, which is a defensive position. Joe played college football for the UCF Knights and also played high school football at Eustis High School. During his professional career, he played for teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers, Edmonton Eskimos, Calgary Stampeders, and Montreal Alouettes.

College Football Journey

Joe Burnett was an amazing player for the University of Central Florida. He was known as a record-setting cornerback and also for his special teams play. In 2008, during his senior year, he was even named a first-team All-American.

UCF Team Success

Joe helped the UCF Knights reach their first two bowl games. These were the 2005 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl and the 2007 AutoZone Liberty Bowl. He also helped the team win their first-ever conference championship in 2007.

College Achievements

Burnett earned many awards during his college career. He received eight All-Conference USA honors. He was named the Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Year in his senior year.

He holds a UCF record for the most career punt return yards with 1,304. This amount also ranks him high in NCAA history. He also set a UCF record with 16 career interceptions. He played in 49 games, starting 46 of them. He had 221 tackles and broke up 35 passes. He also returned 96 punts for 1,304 yards and scored three touchdowns. He returned 26 kickoffs for 745 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Joe earned his bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice in December 2008.

College Awards and Honors

• First-team ESPN All-American (2008)
• First-team Sports Illustrated All-American (2008)
• First-team Conference USA All-Freshman (2005)
• 4x First-team All-Conference USA (2005–2008)
• First-team CollegeFootballNews.com Freshman All-American (2005)
• First-team FWAA Freshman All-American (2005)
• First-team Rivals.com Freshman All-American (2005)
• Third-team Sporting News Freshman All-America

Professional Football Career

After his successful college career, Joe Burnett moved on to play professional football.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers picked Joe in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He was the 168th player chosen overall. Many thought he would help with punt and kick returns. However, another player, Stefan Logan, became the main return specialist. Even so, Burnett showed strong defensive skills. This helped him earn a spot on the Steelers' main roster. In his final preseason games, he had 15 tackles, defended 4 passes, made 1 interception, and blocked a field goal.

The Steelers released Joe Burnett on September 3, 2010. This was done to meet the team's roster size rules.

New York Giants

On January 5, 2011, Burnett signed a contract with the New York Giants. This type of contract is often for players who might join the team in the future.

Jacksonville Sharks

Burnett later signed a deal with the Jacksonville Sharks. He hoped to play for them in their 2012 season.

Edmonton Eskimos

Joe Burnett then signed with the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL. In his first season in the CFL, Burnett led all players with 6 interceptions. On July 10, 2012, he set an Eskimos record. He intercepted a pass from Travis Lulay of the BC Lions and ran it back 108 yards for a touchdown. He also scored another touchdown on August 10, 2012, by recovering a fumble and running it 44 yards. On defense, he made 47 tackles. He also helped on special teams with 3 more tackles. Burnett was also important for punt and kick returns. He gained 573 yards on 28 kick-off returns and 440 yards on 52 punt returns.

In his second CFL season, Burnett increased his defensive tackles to 57. However, he only had 1 interception that year. He continued to help with kick and punt returns, but not as much. The Eskimos signed Burnett to a contract extension through the 2015 CFL season. In 2014, Burnett played in only a few games. This was because of ongoing leg injuries. He had 18 tackles and 1 interception that season. The Eskimos released him in April 2015.

Calgary Stampeders

On April 13, 2015, Burnett joined the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.

Montreal Alouettes

Burnett played the 2018 season with the Montreal Alouettes. He was released by the Montreal team in January 2019.