** Campbell Q&A Series **
June 9, 2020: Chris Howard (1990,Air Force)
June 25, 2020: Robert Zatechka (1994,Nebraska)
August 12, 2020: Christian Wilkins (2019,Clemson)
August 26, 2020: Brad Culpepper (1991,Florida)
Sept. 10, 2020: Sam Acho (2010, Texas)
 

A leader on and off the field, Tom Burns built a stellar reputation at the University of Virginia in the early 1990s. A two-year starter at linebacker and four-year performer, Burns became one of Virginia's all-time leading tacklers with 200 career stops, placing him 15th on the Cavalier all-time roster at the time of his graduation. He compiled a 3.92 GPA as a nuclear engineering major, and he was twice named a CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-American. After graduating, Burns earned a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from Virginia, and he has had a distinguished career in the U.S. and international nuclear power industry. He currently serves as a senior vice president at Parsons Corporation.

 
What was the best part about being a student-athlete at UVA and playing for Hall of Famer George Welsh?
 
The best part was the life-long relationships built during that time with my teammates and the life lessons from Coach Welsh about how to prepare to win.
 
What was the best game of your career?
 
The 1991 win against Virginia Tech (38-0).
 
You were the first ACC player to win the Campbell Trophy®, and UVA is the only school in the conference to boast two winners all-time. What does that mean to you?
 
The Campbell Trophy® is very special to me because I believe that the values it represents are what is right about both college football and our society at-large. Therefore, I am very proud to be the first ACC winner and I am very proud that UVA has had two winners (myself and Micah Kiser). As such, I strive to live my life in a manner that espouses the values of the Campbell Trophy® and represents and reflects positively on the fraternity of Campbell Trophy® winners.
 
The Cavalier Football Team played a significant role in unifying the UVA campus after the 2017 riots in Charlottesville. How did that make you feel and what did your own experiences teach you about the brotherhood of a football team?
 
It was very uplifting to see the UVA Football Team taking a leadership role with regard to bridging divisions and focusing on moving forward in a positive manner. I believe strongly in personal accountability, fairness, and expanding opportunity for all people to achieve in accordance with their talents and work ethic. My experience with football was consistent with these ideals, where we were all-in for a common goal and we respected and celebrated the contributions and achievements of all of our teammates. It was a pleasure to get to know so many wonderful young men from a wide array of backgrounds. Everyone brought a unique perspective to the team based on where they were from, but it all got melded into a common purpose to serve each other as best we could to be the best team that we could be. I think that these are invaluable lessons that are broadly applicable today.
 
You currently serve as a senior vice president at Parsons Corporation. Tell us a little about what you do and the projects you oversee.
 
I am the Director of Engineering and Deputy Project Manager for a $2.5 billion radiochemical waste stabilization mega-project at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, SC. We designed, built, tested, and will operate this amazing first-of-a-kind plant ("The Salt Waste Processing Facility") to stabilize approximately 100 million gallons of radioactive liquid waste from the Cold War nuclear weapons production missions at the Savannah River Site. After more than 15 years of work, we received approval to start up the plant from the Department of Energy on August 17, 2020. It has been a pleasure to work with the amazing Parsons team on this unique project to remediate what has been widely considered the single-biggest environmental risk in South Carolina.
 
You have become very involved with the NFF, attending the Annual Awards Dinner and the Campbell Trophy Summit each year. Why is it important for you to be so involved and to give back to the game?
 
Football in general, and the National Football Foundation and Campbell Trophy® fraternity specifically, have been so central to enabling me to become the man I am today, that I feel a great responsibility to do everything I can to contribute to the continued growth and expansion of these important entities. This is important to me not in the abstract, but because I know how important football is to the formation of men of character, perspective, responsibility, and grit. I can think of no better venue for development of leaders that will be essential in moving our society forward in a unified and productive manner. It also goes without saying that the amazing folks at the NFF put on the most incredible event every December to honor the game and its most accomplished performers and that attending this gala is a draw in itself and a high point for me each year.
 
Favorite UVA tradition?
 
Singing "The Good Ole Song" after touchdowns and field goals.
 
Favorite movie?
 
"Braveheart" (but I gotta admit I also really liked "A Star is Born").
 
Favorite quote?
 
"Train like you Fight, Fight like you Train".
 
Favorite snack?
 
Root-beer float.

Campbell Trophy Q&A Background:
Click here for more information on The William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, which has been presented every year since 1990 to the nation's top scholar-athlete from the college gridiron. In 2019, Mazda became the sponsor of the Trophy, launching their Power of Potential Platform with ESPN. The trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association, which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football.

Today's Q&A represents the sixth in a series of Q&A sessions with former winners of the Campbell Trophy.