Elmer Burnham

Elmer Harold Burnham (September 8, 1894 – March 9, 1977) was an American football player and coach. He was the head football coach at Purdue University in 1942 and 1943. Burnham's 1943 Purdue squad went 9–0 and shared the Big Ten Conference title with Michigan. From 1944 to 1960, Burnham served as the head coach at the University of Rochester, where he compiled a record of 82–48–6 in 17 seasons. Burnham served as Purdue's freshman football coach for seven years before assuming the role as varsity head coach in 1942. Before coming to Purdue, Burnham coached football at Central High School in South Bend, Indiana for 16 seasons, tallying a mark of 118–30–8.

Burnham was a veteran of World War I. He served with Trench Mortar Battery 309 and spent one year in the European theatre. Burnham died on March 9, 1977 at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York.