He is the son of Nelson Burton, Sr., who himself was a successful bowler in his day, competing with the likes of Glenn Allison and Billy Welu.
Burton compiled 18 titles on the PBA Tour, including two major championships, and earned $763,782 (USD).
Both Burton and his father are members of the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Hall of Fame.
His 18th and final PBA tour title came in 1984 at the AMF Angle Open held just outside his hometown of St. Louis.
In 1975, Burton became the color analyst on ABC's Saturday afternoon telecast, The Pro Bowlers Tour, working with veteran sportscaster Chris Schenkel.
Only 33 at the time, Burton also continued to compete on the PBA Tour, vacating the broadcast booth if he made the TV finals of an event.
After leaving ABC, Burton moved to ESPN and spent one year in 1998 providing analysis for select PBA broadcasts.
Burton has also been involved with the Generations Bowling Tour, as both a competitor and color commentator on local telecasts.