The lock forward from the Back Bay club was a California, and USA, guy through and through. 

Born in Southern California, which is where he played and coached, Ed Burlingham was an imposing lock and supreme leader, captaining the USA in nine of his 14 capped matches. This included the 1987 World Cup, where he led the USA to a victory over Japan.

At 6-5 he towered over most players in his day, and while he wasn’t capped until 1980 he was a critical part of UC Irvine, Back Bay, and also the Pacific Coast Grizzlies through the 1970s.

In our research for this series former USA Head Coach Ray Cornbill gave a strong push for Burlingham, calling him, simply, “an excellent captain.”

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