By Keith Sargeant | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Research conducted by NJ Advance Media has prompted Rutgers to rewrite its record books, causing one of the greatest quarterbacks in school history to have two more touchdowns in his legendary career.

Frank Burns, who became the winningest coach in Rutgers history after his storied playing career, is now credited with 32 career passing touchdowns after NJ Advance Media alerted university officials of an omission during Burns' freshman season.

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Considering Rutgers has been playing football games since 1869, it’s not unusual for Rutgers Athletics officials to correct the record for players’ stats through the years. That’s because records-keeping through the first eight decades of the sport’s existence wasn’t an exact science.

In fact, Burns’ touchdown total has fluctuated through the years. From the time Burns’ career TD total first appeared in Rutgers’ record books in the early 1960s until 1996, Burns was listed as having thrown for 25 touchdowns. It was believed that Rich Policastro passed Burns as the all-time passing touchdowns leader with his 29 TDs thrown over a two-year period in the late 1960s.

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Rutgers University archives

But in 1997, the Rutgers media guide listed Burns as having passed for 30 touchdowns. No explanation was given as to why he suddenly passed Policastro on the leaderboard.

Policastro broke what was believed to be at the time to be Rutgers’ career passing touchdowns record on Nov. 22, 1969. It was the season finale against Colgate, and Policastro entered the game needing one TD to tie the mark. He eclipsed it four minutes into the game with a 2-yard pass to Randy Bokesch.

Six minutes later, the quarterback affectionately known as “Polly” broke the record with a five-yard scoring pass to Bruce Van Ness. He finished the game with five touchdowns to up his two-year career total to 29.

Referring to the record, the Daily Home News reporter wrote in the game story: “It may be surpassed in some future day, but it does not seem likely that one will do it in as short a time as it took Polly.’’

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Reached Tuesday from his home in Monroe, Policastro said he had “no idea” that Burns passed him on the leaderboard in 1997.

Recalling the 1969 season finale against Colgate, Policastro said he broke Burns’ record without much fanfare at the time.

“You’re not aware of records when you’re playing,’’ Policastro said. “My objective was to win a football game.’’

But Burns, who was the associate head coach John Bateman at the time, mentioned it at the team’s banquet a few weeks later.

“He said to everybody, ‘I’m pissed at Policastro because he broke all my records,’ ‘’ said Policastro, who was a radio broadcaster for Rutgers football games on WCTC in 1989 when Scott Erney broke the record with his 29th and 30th career TD passes in a win at Northwestern.

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Was Frank Burns the best freshman QB in Rutgers history?

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Rutgers University archives

Erney threw his 33rd career touchdown pass with an eight-yard strike to Gary Melton four weeks later at Syracuse. He finished with 41 in his career, but Ray Lucas eclipsed that mark six years later en route to finishing with 43 career TD passes.

Ryan Hart (52), Mike Teel (59) and Gary Nova (73) were among Rutgers’ quarterbacks to pass Lucas on the Scarlet Knights’ leaderboard in recent years.

The additional two touchdowns doesn’t move Burns up Rutgers’ all-time passing-TDs leaderboard.

Burns, who died in 2012 at the age of 84, ranks 7th all-time in the category behind Nova, Teel, Hart, Lucas, Mike McMahon (41) and Erney.

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Rutgers media guide, 1947

NJ Advance Media discovered the omission while researching a recent ranking of the Rutgers true freshmen quarterbacks who had the greatest impact in school history.

For years, Rutgers listed Jacque LaPrairie as being the first true freshmen to start a game at quarterback when he accomplished that feat in the 1981 season finale against Boston College. That’s likely because the NCAA lifted its prohibition on freshmen playing college football in 1972, and no true-freshman QB started in games from ’72 until ’81.

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Rutgers media guide, 1948

But NJ Advance Media found an archived story in 1981 that reported LaPrairie was the first true-freshman QB since Burns in 1945 to start a game as a collegiate yearling. The reporter likely had a solid fact-checker on that historical considering Burns was the Rutgers head coach at the time.

So in an effort to come up with a definitive ranking, NJ Advance Media researched Burns’ freshman year. That wasn’t as easy as one would think.

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The Daily Home News, 1948

Burns’ 1946 and ’47 stats were easily attainable because Rutgers has copies of the media guides in the ensuing years. Media guides back then would only list returning players in the previous season’s stats, but NJ Advance Media found Burns’ senior-season numbers from a Daily Home News report in December 1948.

They are:

1946: 32-72, 513 yards, 9 TD, 5 INT

1947: 45-101, 911 yards, 11 TD, 11 INT .

1948: 40-97, 623 yards, 5 TD, 7 INT

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Rutgers University archives

Because Rutgers officials aren’t in possession of the 1946 media guide, Burns’ freshmen-year stats were nowhere to be found. An attempt to find Burns’ stat line from 1945 through archived reports in the state and Middlesex County newspapers, including the university’s newspaper, The Targum, was unsuccessful.

But there were multiple mentions in newspaper reports in 1946 that Burns had passed for seven touchdowns as a freshman in 1946.

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From a Sept. 22, 1946, edition of the Daily Home News: "The lone pre-draft age athlete is "Flingin' Frankie'' Burns, sophomore quarterback from Roselle Park, who threw seven touchdown passes last season for an average of one per game.''

From a Sept. 26, 1946, edition of the Daily Home News: "As a yearling he developed into Harry J. Rockafeller's most dangerous scoring threat last season, pitching his mates to long gains via the air route and accounting for an average of one touchdown pass per game during the seven-game campaign.''

From an Oct. 16, 1946, edition of the Daily Home News, referring to 1945: "Last season, Burns averaged one touchdown pass per game during the seven-game campaign …''

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A 1946 Rutgers-Princeton game program also reported: “Last Fall he averaged one touchdown per pass game …’’

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Rutgers University archives

If one adds the seven passing TDs he reportedly tallied as a freshman with his sophomore (9), junior (11) and senior (5) stats, it totals 32.

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Rutgers media guide, 1947

For more proof, NJ Advance Media took the additional step of reading through game stories from the 1945 season in The Daily Home News, the Sunday Times and The Targum.

Here's what the game-by-game accounting revealed:



Swarthmore (0 TD passes): The Daily Home News (HN) reported two days after the game that Burns completed 8 of 16 passes for 149 yards in his collegiate debut.

Muhlenberg (2 TD passes): "Burns flipped both the aerials which sewed up the contest in the third period. … Burns lateraled to Mann who dragged several would-be tacklers into the end zone to score standing up (HN) … Mann dragged a host of Muhlenberg tacklers into the end zone after receiving a wide lateral from Burns (Targum). … Burns faded back on the final down and passed to Oxenford in the end zone for Rutgers' final touchdown (HN) … Burns faded back and flipped a 20-yard pass to Oxenford in the end zone for the final score of the game (Targum).

Rhode Island (1 TD pass): Burns faded back and flipped a pass to end Andy Sivess who gathered in the ball on the four and stepped across the goal line to give Rutgers a 26-0 advantage. (HN). … Burns then faded back and tossed a 14-yard pass to Andy Siviss, who gathered in the ball and stepped untouched across the goal-line. (Targum)

Rutgers-Princeton (1 TD pass): "Rutgers climaxed an 80 yard drive late in the second quarter with a 26-yard touchdown pass. Quarterback Frank Burns rifled a beautiful forward to Mann who gathered in the ball on the goal stripe and stepped across.'' (HN). … "Mann scored when he caught a 26-yard pass from Burns on the goal line." (Targum).

Rutgers-Lehigh (1 TD pass): "Burns faded back on third down and rifled a 10-yard pass to end Dick Wackar who made a beautiful fingertip catch in the end zone." (HN). … "Frank Burns tossed a short aerial to end Dick Wackar for the touchdown." (Targum).

Rutgers-Lafayette (1 TD pass): The payoff toss followed on the next play, a 24-yard pass to Mann who caught it in the clear on the seven-yard line and loped into the end zone. (HN) … Rutgers struck through the air for its first touchdown with Burns flipping a 24-yard scoring pass to Mann on the seven-yard line. (Targum).

Rutgers-NYU (1 TD pass): Burns faded back and rifled a 21-yard pass to Sivess in the end zone. (HN) … Burns flipped a 21-yard aerial to Sivess who stood waiting in the end zone. (Targum).

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Rutgers media guide, 1948

Burns’ other passing statistics are somewhat questionable. The Newark Evening News in 1951 reported Burns’ career passing totals as 2,389 yards on 117-for-270 passing, with 35 touchdowns.

But Rutgers has consistently listed Burns' career-yardage total at 2,751 yards since the early 1960s.

Since the mid-1960s, Burns’ pass-attempts total has been listed at 403. Burns’ completion total has been listed as not applicable in several years, but the 1969 Rutgers Media Guide reported it at 155.

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Rutgers University archives

The error of Rutgers’ reporting of Burns’ TDs through the years likely stems from this: the record book in the 1960s listed both Burns’ four-year and three-year totals since college players in that decade only played three varsity seasons.

The 1969 Rutgers Media Guide lists Burns as having thrown 25 touchdowns from 1946-48. The 1945 season — which is included in the yardage, completions and attempts totals — is not included in the career passing-TDs total.

Future Rutgers media guides didn’t make that three-year distinction. It simply listed his touchdown total as 25 until 1997, when Burns’ career TD total — for unspecified reasons — was increased to 30.

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Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KSargeantNJ. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.