He was raised in Darwin, in a house in Leanyer that he still likes to drive past on trips back to the Northern Territory.

[3] He had been a steady contributor across the forward line for Port Adelaide, before becoming a rebounding defender to great effect.

In 2004, Burgoyne played every game for the season and was part of Port Adelaide's inaugural AFL premiership.

After a series of midfield performances that culminated with selection to the All Australian Team in 2006, he was described by retiring Port player Josh Francou as being "as good as Judd".

[5] As vice-captain, he shocked Port Adelaide by requesting a trade to play for a Victorian team in 2010 after his brother retired.

During 2011, Shaun Burgoyne played excellent football for Hawthorn, showcasing his disposal and running skills.

The match ended the 11-game losing streak against Geelong that had been active since Hawthorns' 2008 Grand Final win over them.

With Hawthorn's victories in the 2014 and 2015 Grand Finals, completing a hat-trick, Burgoyne became a quadruple Premiership player.

[7] On 28 August 2017, Burgoyne signed a one-year contract extension with Hawthorn keeping him at the club until the end of 2018.

On 26 October 2024 it was announced that Shaun would join Fox Footy's commentary team in an unknown capacity.