ACC football record book: For UNC’s Burney, others, the records still mean something
Editor’s note: This is part of a 10-story series focusing on ACC football records. See the bottom of this story for a list of all the other content in the series.
As the boys’ fingers sprawled across the glossy plastic sleeves of the old scrapbook, their eyes widened.
Kendric Burney watched while his 9-year-old stepson Darian Metz and 9-year-old nephew Taelin Burney looked at the faded newspaper cutout on their lap in amazement. Kendric was with the two during a trip to his grandmother’s house in his hometown of Jacksonville in early May.
Their excitement increased as they read the words.
“They saw that and just went crazy,” recalled Kendric, a former standout UNC cornerback. “Like, ‘I didn’t know you had the record!’”
The article was about the performance Kendric had on Nov. 14, 2009 against Miami in Kenan Memorial Stadium. It was that afternoon when the then-junior broke the ACC single-game record for most interception return yards, recording a whopping 170, with a touchdown on three picks.
Over 10 years later, an ACC player has yet to eclipse that mark.
“I kind of figured that in a whole decade, somebody had been right there at it,” Kendric laughed. “But now thinking about it, shoot, that’s a lot of yards.”
In reporting for this series on the ACC Football Record Book, Herald-Sun reporters found something interesting. Although they are usually hesitant to trumpet their accomplishments, these records still seem to mean a lot to most of the men who broke them.
Former Duke receiver Conner Vernon, for example, admits that he is thrilled to be tied atop the ACC’s all-time receptions list with former teammate Jamison Crowder. “I couldn’t be more honored and happy to have that record and to have Duke’s name at the top of it all,” he said.
Torry Holt, a former N.C. State star receiver who still holds the ACC record for most receiving touchdowns in a game with five, says he never brings the record up. But if somebody else does, he is happy to engage.
Former UNC running back Don McCauley, who held the ACC single-season rushing record for many years, admitted to watching it closely, even while he was in the NFL. “You’re kind of looking like, ‘Geez, I hope he has a great game,’” McCauley said of the UNC running backs who came after him. “‘But you know, don’t break that rushing record.’ … That’s just human nature.”
Kendric, who played for the Tar Heels from 2007 to 2010, a stretch in which he was twice an all-ACC selection, is no different. His 200 interception return yards in the 2009 season and 358 for his career are both program bests. And as he looked at the animated expressions on the kids’ faces that May day, Kendric got teary-eyed.
Now 32, his current role — as a stepfather, uncle and father to his 15-month-old son, Kaysen — gives him more fulfillment than he’d ever received from playing in games. Seeing Darian and Taelin in awe at him having the record was a reminder of that.
“When I see them noticing, looking back and they pull stuff out, it’s just a big relief,” Kendric said. “Like, ‘Wow, I did do some special things when I was there.’”
Arriving in Chapel Hill as only a three-star recruit, according to Rivals, and undersized for a typical defensive back at 5-foot-9, 190 pounds, Kendric felt he had to prove himself.
By the end of Kendric’s sophomore year, he had increased his total tackles from 50 as a freshman to 77 and interceptions from one to three. In the process, he earned all-ACC second team honors.
Using the grit his father Tyrone Burney instilled in him from a young age, he continued to improve. All the way to his 2009 outing versus Miami.
After that contest ended, Kendric stood on the field and looked around to take it all in.
“That’s just blessings,” he said. “Hard work finally paid off … I busted my ass all throughout my life for moments like that.”
The 2009 all-ACC first team selection went undrafted in 2011 because of concerns about his size and a poor combine showing. Kendric spent a little over three years in search of an opportunity to play at the next level. He had stints on the practice squads of the Carolina Panthers and the then-St. Louis Rams before playing one season with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League in 2013.
But in between moving to new cities, he’d come back to Jacksonville. That’s when he started to spend more time with Jennifer Metz, his girlfriend who he’d been on and off with since high school, and her son, Darian.
“I had got a taste of the family life,” Kendric recalled. “... I felt like I didn’t have anything to prove to anybody else.”
So, he decided to step away from the game, eventually moving back to Jacksonville permanently.
Watching Darian and Taelin marvel at his accomplishments takes him back to similar moments he shared with his father as a child. He hopes to provide those two with inspiration from seeing his journey.
“I value that more than what any of the accolades could ever give me,” Jennifer said. “I like seeing what he instills in these kids versus a name on a plaque.”
Kendric works with his stepson and nephew to help them improve in all the sports they play. Darian’s love is soccer, while Taelin’s favorite sport is football.
Taelin was especially astonished as he flipped through the scrapbook and landed on the article which recapped Kendric’s record-breaking day against Miami. He’s even seen the entire game on YouTube and describes his uncle’s performance as “shocking.”
But Kendric wants to make sure the boys set out to reach greater milestones. Luckily for him, he won’t have to do much to motivate them to do so.
“That was a good accomplishment for him,” Taelin said. “But now my goal is to break his record.”
Kendric’s response?
“We’ll see once you get there.”
THE SCHEDULE FOR THIS SERIES
(Dates the stories will be posted online)
MAY 29 — Duke receivers Conner Vernon and Jamison Crowder are tied for the ACC career receptions record with 283 apiece. They were teammates for a time in the early 2010s.
MAY 31 — North Carolina’s Kendric Burney has the record for most interception return yardage in a game — 170 against Miami in 2009.
JUNE 1 — N.C. State’s Ted Brown still holds the ACC career rushing record, a mark he set from 1975-78.
JUNE 2 — Wake Forest’s Tanner Price has the ACC passing record by a left-handed quarterback.
JUNE 3 — A quick roundup of other interesting and important ACC footbal records leads with the 2011 Clemson team, which became the first in ACC history to win three straight games against ranked opponents. That team had a bevy of kids from the state of North Carolina.
This story was originally published May 31, 2020 at 6:00 AM with the headline "ACC football record book: For UNC’s Burney, others, the records still mean something."