Prior to joining North Melbourne, Burns played with East Launceston in the Northern Tasmanian Football Association with whom he won both the competition and club best and fairest in 1969.
That year he also represented the Tasmanian interstate team at the Adelaide Carnival.
From 1970 he spent four seasons with East Perth and played in their 1972 premiership side.
A centreman, Burns crossed to North Melbourne in 1973 and went on to play in three successive Grand Finals, culminating in a premiership in 1975.
In both 1975 and 1976 he polled well in the Brownlow Medal, finishing as North Melbourne's second biggest vote getter each year.