Medical School and Semi-pro Basketball
On graduating from high school, Burton announced he was not interested in playing in the NBA and would instead continue his studies at the University of Michigan Medical School. Despite Burton’s stated intention, the Detroit Pistons selected him as the 73rd pick in the 1959 NBA Draft. The Pistons offered Burton $15,000 a year to play in the NBA, but Burton declined. He later recalled that, in 1959, the NBA did not offer an income that could compete with a career as a medical doctor. He noted:
“The money made my decision earlier. Even the Pistons general manager at the time admitted that a degree in medicine would be worth more to me in five years than a career in basketball.”
While turning down the NBA, Burton did play semi-pro basketball to help pay his way through medical school. In the summer of 1959, he toured with an All-Star team playing against the Harlem Globetrotters. During his first two years of medical school, he played on weekends for the Holland Oilers in the Midwest Professional Basketball League (“MPBL”). He also played for the Battle Creek Warriors in 1961 and the Toledo Tartans in 1962.
Burton graduated from medical school in 1963 and accepted an internship in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he supplemented his income by playing for the Grand Rapids Tackers of the MPBL. In 1964, Burton was inducted into the U.S. Navy. He was stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center, where he was permitted to play the 1964-65 season for the Grand Rapids Tackers in the newly-formed North American Basketball League (“NABL”).
Burton’s Naval duties prevented him from playing in the 1965-66 season, but he returned to the Tackers from 1966-1969. During the 1967-68 season, he led the Tackers to the NABL championship, led the league in rebounds, was third in scoring, and was selected as the NABL’s Most Valuable Player.
Read more about this topic: M. C. Burton, Jr.
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