For Brad Burton, Contact Hurts So Good : SDSU Defensive Tackle Happy to Hit After Infection Ruined ’88 Season

On the list of things in this world that football players are thankful for, the start of preseason practice in full gear under a hot summer sun is not near the top.

Unless, that is, you are San Diego State defensive tackle Brad Burton.

“I know this sounds corny, but you don’t realize how much you like something until it is gone for a while,” Burton said. “I didn’t realize how much I liked football until there was a chance I would not play again. It really makes you appreciate what you have.”

That feeling struck Burton again Wednesday morning after he put on full gear and banged against his teammates for the first time since a frightening battle with a staph infection in his right ankle last fall. The infection cut short his junior season and almost ended his football career.

There were days, weeks and even months when Burton, a senior from El Capitan High School, wondered if he would be out there again. Even now, nearly 10 months after the first symptoms of the infection appeared, there are doubts about his future. Maybe that is why, while some of his teammates rued the beginning of full-contact drills, Burton enjoyed every minute of the two-hour practice.

“The first practice in pads was special,” Burton said. “You never really know how things will go until you go against a live person. Getting out there with the guys and being a part of everything again, that meant a lot to me.

But the fact Burton took the field in pads does not necessarily mean he will play this season. His mobility remains limited because of stiffness in his ankle, his conditioning is slightly behind some of the other players, and there always is the risk the infection will return.

“It is a day-to-day thing with him,” said Ed Schmidt, the defensive line coach. “I don’t know what the lasting effects will be, and I don’t know if he knows either. I hope it is worth it to him to play football, because we sure would like to have him around.”

Burton’s value to the team has never been questioned. Until the infection, he played much of last season with a cast covering a dislocated finger. And despite missing the final four games, he still was named the team’s outstanding defensive lineman.

At 6-feet-5, 255 pounds, he is one of the most seasoned players on a line that the coaches have said is probably the strong point of a defense that has been the team’s greatest weakness over the past several seasons.

“It’s great to have him back because he is such a stabilizing force,” Schmidt said. “He is a mature leader, and it is very important for this young defense to have a mature, intelligent person in our midst. He really is a good influence on the young players.”

The coaches have let Burton try to pick up where he left off. He is working with the first-team defense, along with junior Pio Sagapolutele, as one of two defensive tackles in the Aztecs’ four-man front. But he is being pushed by senior Milt Wilson.

“He is with the first group until somebody beats him out,” Schmidt said. “Let’s just see if he can do it.”

At this point, Burton is thankful just be getting the chance. His difficulties began in a 13-7 loss at Colorado State Oct. 22. The next week, he accompanied the team to Utah, but his ankle was too sore to let him to play in a 41-20 loss. The next day, the pain became so severe, Burton checked into a hospital.

“I was really in bad shape,” Burton said. “I was in so much pain. I couldn’t sleep.”

It was then that he finally was diagnosed as having a staph infection. But that was only the beginning of his difficulties. Over the next two months, he would spend a total of 15 days in the hospital and undergo two operations to remove fluid and clean his ankle.

For two months after the second operation, Burton had to inject himself with antibiotics every four hours through a catheter in his chest.

“I was thinking maybe I won’t have a senior year,” Burton said. “Over time, I started to feel better.”

Once off the medication, his comeback was just starting.

He missed spring practice. Swimming, running and weight training had to take the place of physical contact on a football field. Along the way, there were small setbacks, the most recent a hamstring pull that threatened to keep him from starting preseason practice on time.

But despite all the problems, Burton was there when contact drills began Wednesday. And outside of Burton himself, no one could have been happier than his twin brother, Mitch. Through the months of rehabilitation and worry, Burton said he had no better friend and teammate than Mitch, his younger brother by five minutes.

“When I was laid up for a long time, he was always there to help me,” Burton said. “I couldn’t have had a better friend.”

Mitch, who played alongside Brad at defensive end last year, has been moved back to his original position at tight end. But even from across the line, he knows his brother’s value to the team.

“We were worried he wouldn’t make it back, because he is such an inspiration to our defense,” Mitch said. “There were times when he would get down, but he really worked through it. It’s great to have him back.”

Aztec Notes

Defensive tackle Pio Sagapolutele caused an anxious moment when he went down after a collision screaming in pain and clutching his right knee. But it turned out to be only a mild knee sprain, and he is expected to return to practice today, trainer Brian Barry said. It was enough, however, to end the first scrimmage of preseason. . . . Receiver is supposed one of the Aztecs’ strongest positions, but the team practiced without two of its best--Robert Claiborne and Patrick Rowe. Rowe, a junior from Lincoln High School, has been held out of practice this week because of sore right knee. Claiborne, a senior from Mount Miguel and Southwestern Community College, pulled a hamstring Tuesday. He was kept him out of most of spring practice for a a similar injury. Claiborne, who redshirted last season because of an abundance of receivers, caught 26 passes for 374 yards and four touchdowns as a junior. “I can’t go on potential,” Coach Al Luginbill said. “I have got to go with who is at practice.” The first-team receivers have been senior Monty Gilbreath and juniors Dennis Arey and Jimmy Raye. Also kept out of the first day of full-contact practice were defensive lineman Mike Alexander (hip), center Steve Blyth (knee), guard Roman Fortin (hips), defensive end Bob Graff (knee), offensive lineman Carson Leomiti (Achilles tendon), center Bonner Montler (foot), defensive lineman George Tuioti (knee) and linebacker Derrick Williams (groin). Fortin will need “extensive rehabilitation, and you have to very cautious with hip flexors or else they (the problem) can last a long time,” Barry said. Fortin is questionable for Sunday’s scrimmage. . . . Luginbill said he has been impressed with freshmen linebackers Turaj Smith of San Francisco, Dan Stehly of Orange Glen and Eric Thompson of Los Alamitos. Luginbill said they could be needed to shore up what might be the team’s most inexperienced position.