LEWISTON, N.Y. (WKBW) — At Lew-Port, there’s a new safety playing his first year of high school football. An amputation of his left leg at 10 years old hasn’t stopped Gavin Burns from playing underneath the Friday night lights.
Before the 2025 season, 17-year-old Gavin just convinced his mom to let him join the team.
“It wasn’t hard… I was like, 'Mom I want to play football,'” Gavin said.
“I was just stunned at the fact that he wanted to play,” Gavin’s mom, Jacqueline, said. “So, I said, ‘Are you sure?’ And he said ‘Yes.’ I said ‘Okay, we will get the ball rolling.”
In June of 2018, Gavin had his left leg amputated after a lawnmower accident, but he never stopped working, running again for the first time in 2021 and now, making plays on the football field.
“I wanted to inspire others,” Gavin said. “It shocks me. Every time on the field, I think about [losing my leg]… Am I really playing football?”
For him, playing football was a way to share the field with his brother Jason, but far more people than just his brother have taken notice.
“There is younger kids watching him and looking up to him, so he’s inspiring these kids, and he probably doesn’t even realize it,” Lew-Port Football head coach Derek Tracy said.
“I guess my first impression of Gavin was more inspiration,” Lew-Port Football defensive coordinator Al Whitehead said. “Since Gavin has been part of this team, I just think ‘Well, what would Gavin do?’ He would just put his mind to it and just keep cranking it out.”
“There’s nothing that can hold you back. You may feel like you have limitations, but just go out there and do it,” Gavin’s dad, Jason, said.
