Trey Burton Joins Florida Sports Hall of Fame: From Gator Legend to Super Bowl Champion

Trey Burton is now officially a member of the Florida Sports Hall of Fame. The former Gator was part of the 2025 induction class at the Bradenton Area Convention Center, becoming the 50th Florida player or coach to be honored. He joins an impressive lineup of names, including Lonni Alameda, Mike Alstott, and Ricky Carmichael.

Burton’s rise from Venice High QB to Super Bowl champion is a snapshot of the all-around skill and persistence that made him such a rare standout in Florida’s football history.

His ability to impact games from multiple positions made him one of the most difficult players for opposing defenses to prepare for during his four years in Gainesville. Florida fans looking for comprehensive coverage of Gator athletics and betting markets can find detailed analysis through the list of offshore sportsbooks. Such platforms track college football futures, player props, and game-by-game odds. Specifically, Burton’s unpredictable usage created unique challenges for oddsmakers trying to project his weekly production, as his snap counts varied dramatically depending on game situations and opponent matchups.

Burton comes from Venice, Florida, and made his name at Venice High School as one of the state’s better dual-threat prospects. In 2008, serving as the junior starter, he went 80-for-133 passing for 1,399 yards and 12 touchdowns.

By 2009, his senior year, he was running the show. He posted 1,876 yards and 18 TDs through the air, got picked off only once, and tacked on 821 rushing yards with 22 more touchdowns. The team went 9–2 with him leading the offense, and he earned FSWA 5A All-State First-Team honors as both a junior and a senior.

In 2007, Burton’s sophomore stat line read 1,318 yards and 13 TDs through the air plus 708 yards and nine scores on the ground. That kind of dual-threat output made him a priority target for Urban Meyer’s Florida program, and he picked the Gators ahead of USF, West Virginia, Miami, and Florida State.

On the next level, Burton signed with Florida and ran with the Gators from 2010 to 2013 for Urban Meyer and Will Muschamp. Meyer saw him as a spread QB when he recruited him. Once camp started, Burton proved to be a Swiss Army knife, taking reps at receiver, tight end, fullback, and quarterback.

Burton’s freshman season in 2010 produced one of the most memorable single-game performances in Florida football history. On September 25, 2010, against Kentucky, Burton scored six touchdowns during a 48-14 victory at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, breaking Tim Tebow’s team record for touchdowns in a single game. 

Burton ranked third in Florida history for total freshman touchdowns in a season with 14, trailing only Jabar Gaffney and matching Emmitt Smith. His 13 rushing touchdowns as a freshman placed him second in Gator history behind Smith’s freshman rushing touchdown record.

The Kentucky game is still the headline performance on Burton’s college résumé. He finished with just five carries for 40 yards, yet crossed the goal line on all five, stacking up six total touchdowns and turning the red zone into his personal playground. Those 36 points made him only the fourth player in SEC history to reach that total in one game and left him tied for second on the league’s all-time single-game scoring list.

He joined a short list that already included Cadillac Williams, who scored six times for Auburn against Mississippi State in 2003. Earlier that year, DeShawn Wynn had dropped 24 points on Florida A&M to set a freshman scoring mark at Florida. Burton later joked that fans would come up saying they remembered him hitting “five” against Kentucky (and he’d politely set the record straight).

The Gators kept moving Burton around, and his workload shifted with each new offensive coordinator and system, but the Swiss-Army-knife tag stuck. Across 50 games, he finished with 720 rushing yards, 976 receiving yards, and 20 total scores. Tennessee fans will tell you his 2012 showing at Neyland Stadium was a reminder of just how quickly he could flip a game.

Burton rushed three times for 93 yards, including touchdown dashes of 14 and 80 yards, as Florida came from behind to defeat Tennessee 37-20 in front of 102,000 fans. His 80-yard touchdown run demonstrated the home-run hitting capability that made him dangerous whenever he touched the ball. As a senior in 2013, Burton finished with a career-high 38 receptions, showcasing his development as a receiving weapon.

The Philadelphia Eagles signed Burton as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2014. He spent four seasons in Philadelphia, gradually carving out a role as a versatile tight end and special teams contributor. On November 26, 2015, Burton recorded his first career reception, finishing with two catches for 49 yards in a loss to Detroit.

He opened his Eagles career as a special-teams ace, posting a team-best 19 tackles in the third phase and hauling in three passes for 54 yards in 16 outings. With Doug Pederson on the sideline, Burton’s responsibilities on offense steadily expanded.

Burton’s career-defining moment came in Super Bowl LII against the New England Patriots. With the Eagles leading by three points and just 34 seconds remaining in the first half, Philadelphia faced fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Instead of attempting a field goal, the Eagles ran one of the most famous trick plays in Super Bowl history.

The Eagles broke the huddle with Foles moving out to the right and Corey Clement taking the direct snap. Clement swept left and then lateralled to Burton on the reverse. Burton stopped, set his feet and dropped a short scoring pass to Foles, sealing the “Philly Special” into Super Bowl lore. Philadelphia ultimately outlasted the Patriots 41–33 to claim the title.

Burton cashed in on March 14, 2018, signing a four-year, $32 million contract with the Chicago Bears off the back of his Super Bowl showcase and reliable production. His first outing in navy and orange came on September 9 against Green Bay, when he posted a single 15-yard grab.

He later joined the Indianapolis Colts and wrapped up his pro career after the 2020 season. In total, Burton appeared in 98 NFL games, caught 159 passes for 1,532 yards, and left the league with one Super Bowl title on his résumé.