A 7′2″ center, Burleson played for North Carolina State University's 1974 NCAA national championship team.

[1] As a collegian, Burleson teamed with All-American David Thompson, guard Monte Towe and forward Tim Stoddard[2] (who would go on to have success as a Major League Baseball pitcher) to dethrone UCLA and win the 1974 NCAA Championship.

Burleson wanted to be listed at his actual height but the coaching staff said he would officially be the tallest player in American basketball and it would bring a lot of good exposure to him and the school.

[4] Burleson was also a member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic Basketball Team that lost a controversial gold medal game to the Soviet Union.

Burleson did not play vs. the USSR, suspended by coach Hank Iba for bringing his fiancé' to the Olympic village, a violation of team rules.

But because Seattle traded Dick Snyder to the Cleveland Cavaliers at the last minute, the Sonics gained the right to pick before the Suns, so the two teams vied for a contract with Burleson.

Just as he began to come into his own in the NBA, he was injured when Maurice Cheeks crashed into his knee while trying to stop Phil Ford from scoring.

[3] In 2002, Burleson was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team honoring the fifty greatest players in Atlantic Coast Conference history.