Tom Burke (American football)

Thomas Burke (born October 12, 1976) is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. He played college football at University of Wisconsin and earned All-American honors. During the 1997-98 season, Burke led all college football with 22 sacks and 31 total tackles for loss while helping Wisconsin to a Rose Bowl victory and #5 overall ranking. He was chosen 83rd overall in the 3rd round of the 1999 draft NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals and played all four years of his NFL career with Arizona.

Early years
Burke was born in Poplar, Wisconsin. He attended Northwestern High School in Poplar, and played for the Northwestern Tigers high school football team.

College career
Burke attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and played for the Wisconsin Badgers football team from 1995 to 1998. As as a senior in 1998, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, first-team All-Big Ten, and received the Bill Willis Trophy. He holds the Badgers' team record for most sacks in a season with 22.

Professional career
The Arizona Cardinals selected Burke in the third round (83rd pick overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft, and he played for the Cardinals from 1999 to 2002. In four NFL seasons, he appeared in 36 games, started 12, and accumulated 29 tackles and 4.5 sacks.