GAINESVILLE, Fla. – He unpacked a few belongings in his dorm room and began his time at the University of Florida a decade ago this spring.
Trey Burton has been on the rise since.
First, Burton spent four seasons as a do-it-all offensive standout for the Gators, parlaying his versatility into a shot in the NFL, signing as an undrafted rookie free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014. By the time Burton's run with the Eagles ended four years later, he was a Super Bowl hero.
Burton's breakthrough with the Eagles led to a lucrative four-year contract with the Chicago Bears and an opportunity to become a full-time starting tight end for the first time. Burton once again delivered, establishing career highs in every major statistical category in his first season with the Bears in 2018.
Along the way, Burton never strayed far from UF, returning to campus periodically in his free time.
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Burton's latest link to his alma mater is a generous gift of $100,000 to help raise awareness and perhaps inspire others to pay it forward on
Gator Nation Giving Day. According to UF's official website, the annual event, which is Feb. 20, is a 24-hour fundraising effort calling on all UF alumni, students, faculty, staff, families and friends to come together to support UF and all of its areas of positive impact in our state, nation and world.
Burton's gift is marked for the University Athletic Association, which is in the midst of the most comprehensive facility makeover in the organization's history.
Burton wanted to give back to a place that has given him so much and is urging other former UF student-athletes to do the same. For him, it started in that dorm room on the day he arrived 10 years ago.
"Right now is one of the best times to possibly do it with all the things going on,'' he said. "There's that Gator Standard that we want to hold up. We can do our part by giving and supporting Coach Mullen and not just football, but all the programs."
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Trey Burton played for the Gators from 2010-13 and is preparing for his third season with the NFL's Chicago Bears. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
Burton has remained closely connected to the university since his playing days and realizes if not for his time at UF, he might not be where he is today after signing with the Gators out of Venice High.
"Sitting with my wife [Yesenia] and just going over what we wanted to do this year, obviously we are super fortunate with all that we've been given these last couple of years,'' Burton said. "We want to be good stewards of it and I just couldn't shake the fact how thankful I am of the University of Florida, and not just the football side of it, not just the academic side of it, but the university as a whole.
"What it means before you get there, while you're there and then after you're there. It's been really cool for me to see how so many things have been kickstarted for me outside of ball just with the alumni and how supportive everything has been. It really is like a family."
While Burton has spent his entire professional career outside the state, his family has made Tampa their permanent home. He was back in town a couple of weeks ago for the UF men's basketball team's game against No. 1-ranked Baylor at the O'Dome.
Burton is spending the offseason preparing to make a comeback in what will be his seventh NFL season and third in Chicago. He played in only eight games a season ago due to injuries. While he seeks to get healthy, the 28-year-old Burton keeps an open mind to the possibilities outside of the game.
"I'm not the type of guy that is going to sit and ponder and look back,'' he said. "I'm more like we could be doing more. 'Why are we not doing this? What should we be doing now?' I'm super fortunate to have some people from the University of Florida to kind of put me under their wing and it's just really cool to see what can happen if you use football as a kickstarter for your career after football. At the end of the day, that's what it's intended to do."
Burton is living proof.
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