Hall of Fame
Col John Burns (Ret.)’80 is the recipient of the 2026 Robert M. Murphy Award.
A two-sport athlete at W&J in football and wrestling, Burns earned six total letters, including four in football where he was a two-year starter at split end. The Presidents won 16 games during his career, including a 4-0 start to the 1976 season.
At the 1977 PAC Wrestling Championship, Burns was the 126-pound class runner-up. W&J posted nine dual-meet wins in each of his two years with the program, including a 7-0 start to the 1976-77 season. He was a member of the Letterman’s Club and President of Phi Kappa Psi.
Burns is a decorated U.S. Army combat veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and spent over 25 years as an aviator with tours worldwide, retiring at the rank of Colonel in 2007.
Upon retirement from the Army, he founded Eagle 6 Technical Services and spent 15 years as the president and CEO of the start-up defense contracting business that focused on modeling, simulation, training support and cybersecurity for government and intelligence agency customers. Burns serves on the executive board of the Florida Association of Veteran-Owned Businesses and the Orlando Mayor’s Veterans Advisory Council.
He is a program mentor for the Wounded Warrior Project and part of the National Organization of Veterans Advocates.
He earned a degree in psychology from W&J and a Master of Arts degree in strategic planning from the U.S. Army War College
