Biographical Note

Born June 1, 1898, John H. Burr was the oldest of twelve siblings. In his younger years, he went to Springfield Technical High School, now The Technical High School, where he was a track and field athlete, receiving numerous accolades, including the title “the fastest runner in the county.”

John H. Burr graduated from the International Young Men’s Christian Association College, now Springfield College, in 1923 (with praise) and later received his master’s degree in 1932 (with very high praise), both in Physical Education. As an undergrad, he was a member of the Alpha Kappa Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., which covered several colleges and universities in Western Massachusetts, including Springfield College. Burr was also a student-athlete, being a member of the New England Championship Soccer Team in 1921, the captain of the Track Team in 1922, and becoming a student instructor in soccer and track from 1920 to 1922.

After he graduated, he had an admirable career at Howard University from 1923 to 1958, where he was the Assistant Director of Physical Education (1923-1936), Director of Physical Education (1936-1947), and Professor of Physical Education (1947-1957). He also was the basketball, swimming, and track and field coach, “contributing to Howard’s dominance in Historically Black College and University championships during the 1950s”. With these roles, he was a significant contributor to the development of the school’s Physical Education programs.

Burr died on January 9, 1958, at the age of 59, in Freedmen’s Hospital in Washington, D.C., following a battle with an unspecified illness. In 1963, Howard University opened a multi-purpose arena named after Burr, affectionately called “The Burr.”

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