She played softball, volleyball, and track,[4] later recalling that Indiana—which in the 1970s was still phasing in women's sports at the high school level—offered little more than intramurals, which did not include basketball for girls.
[5] In her senior season of 1980–81, the team was expected to contend for a state championship, but Burns sprained her ankle; she instead watched from the bench as Leo was upset before making the tournament in Indianapolis.
[8] She set a new school rebounding record in her freshman year of 1981–82 with 213, averaging 11.3 points per game, and was selected to play at the National Sports Festival.
[12] Burns was Iowa State's lone representative to the all–Big Eight team in her junior season of 1983–84, earning second-team honors even as the Cyclones finished 4–23 and 0–14 in league play.
[13] She scored her 1,000th career point in a 42-point, 18-rebound performance on January 18, 1984, as Iowa State lost to Nebraska;[14] later that month, she became the all-time leading rebounder in program history.
[1]: 17:20 Burns signed to play for the Virginia Express of the National Women's Basketball Association (NWBA), a new professional league, in September 1986.