HENDERSON, Nev. -- It’s December and for high school seniors that means stressing over college applications, letters of recommendations and deadlines. For Amani Burton it also means writing essays that offer colleges an inside look into his career at Foothill High School in Henderson.

Burton, a two-year varsity letterman in football for the Falcons, excels in the classroom taking AP classes and earning an Academic Letter. He also plays cello in the advanced orchestra, while holding down a 3.7 grade point average. Additionally, he is a member of the prestigious Foothill High School National Honor Society.

He’s also a really good Madden NFL player. So good he is considered one of the best players on the Xbox One console and started his own online business in the game by trading coins with other players for money.

“Like most kids, I grew up with video games and the one game I always loved was Madden,” said Burton, 17, who wants to major in accounting or business in college. “Madden Ultimate Team mode is like owning your own team. The game has taught me many lessons in life. How an economy works, how to barter and how to manage currency. I turned a video game into a way to make money.”

Burton, a graduate of Vanderburg Elementary and Bob Miller Middle School in Henderson, is looking forward to college and new challenges. He has heard from top schools from all over the country. He has applied to USC and Baylor, and plans to apply to Princeton as well as UNLV, where older brother and Foothill High alum Avery Burton is a sophomore.

With his academic achievements and life lessons learned from playing Madden NFL, Burton is hoping to earn an academic scholarship and start a business career after college. And who knows, maybe one day work for an NFL team or own one.


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Reggie Burton