Charlottesville, VA (VirginiaSports.com) – Virginia senior defensive end Richard Burney, a Hickory High School product from Chesapeake, will miss the remainder of the 2020 football season due to a medical issue UVA head coach Bronco Mendenhall announced today (Nov 3). Burney, a team captain, started the first five games of the season before missing last Saturday’s contest against North Carolina. He had 16 tackles this season and a pair of sacks.
This fall, Burney was honored by the team’s leadership council as the first player to make their pick during the team’s annual jersey selection event. He was also chosen as the player to “Break the Rock” in the team’s annual ritual to close training camp. Twice he was named to the strength and conditioning staff’s “Dirty Dozen” for his outstanding off-season efforts in the weight room.
Burney was competing in his sixth season at Virginia after being granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA after missing all but three games during the 2018 season due to a medical condition.
In 2019, Burney was named a CoSIDA District 3 Academic All-American. He is currently pursuing his master’s in the University’s Curry School of Education. He previously earned his undergraduate degree in American studies and is the athletic department’s 2020-21 Ed Armstrong Endowed Football Scholarship recipient.
He started his career at UVA in 2015 as a tight end and switched to defensive end for the Cavaliers’ appearance in the Military Bowl in 2017. He has been a consistent contributor on special teams, even serving as a long snapper early in his career.
Burney played in 46 games during his career and made a total of 47 tackles, including nine tackles for loss and three sacks.
