After playing at LSU, Burkett was signed by the Cardinals. Burkett was suffering from appendicitis after a game against the Los Angeles Rams, who had beaten the Cardinals 27-7, handing Chicago their first loss of the season. Burkett opted to stay behind and have the surgery to remove his appendix. Once he was released from the hospital, Burkett boarded a United DC-6. The plane crashed in Utah, killing all 52 people aboard. At the time of his death, Burkett was the league's leading punter. After Burkett's death, Cardinals quarterback Charley Trippi took over the punting duties. Trippi admitted taking over for Burkett was hard and he thought of his fallen teammate every time he punted in a game. Burket had not only been a punter for the Cardinals, but was also one of the team's receivers as well. Though his career only consisted of three games before his untimely death, Burkett had caught two passes for 44 yards and a touchdown. In addition to playing end and punter, Burkett also played as a defensive back, intercepting a pass and returning it for 25 yards.
Death
The United DC-6, which was carrying Burkett and several other passengers and, crashed in Bryce Canyon, Utah. The pilot of the plane, E.L. McMillian, was credited by investigators for his vain attempt to keep the doomed plane in the air. Sadly, the plane crashed just a miles short of the landing strip at Bryce Canyon airport. Jeff Burkett was one of three prominent individuals who perished in the crash. the crash also claimed the life of Jack Guenther, editor of Look Magazine, and Clement Ryan, the former head of Montgomery Ward. The wreckage and the plane, along with scattered debris led to a theory that the passengers and some crew members may have been tossing items from the plane in order to lighten the load. There was another cause of concern, as the DC-6 model was also used by president Harry S. Truman as a private plane, thus leading to the suspension of production of the DC-6 until the cause of the crash was found. It was later suspected that faulty wiring led to a fire in a section of the plane that could not readily be accessed played a role in the crash.
