BROOKFIELD, Ill. – Southwest Minnesota State University sophomore linebacker Onte Burns was named on Monday to the 2019 Don Hansen Division II All-American third team announced by the Don Hansen Football Committee.
 
The Don Hansen team carries out the legacy of long-time small college football advocate Don Hansen, who passed away at age 75 on Aug. 29, 2010. Hansen, from Brookfield, Ill., started and published Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette for three decades, selecting NCAA Division II All-America teams for the first time in 1988. Don Hansen's Football Gazette began selecting Division II All-Region squads in 2003.
 
Burns, a 5-foot-11, 200-pound, native of Plymouth, Minn., led the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in tackles with 108, while ranking fifth with 54 solo stops. A 2019 first team All-NSIC honoree, Burns also amassed 5.5 tackles for loss, four pass break-ups, one interception returned for a touchdown and one fumble recovery. He racked up seven or more tackles in nine games, including reaching double-figures five times. Burns closed the season ranking 24^th in Division II in tackles per game and 47^th in solo tackles
 
Southwest Minnesota State finished the 2019 season with a record of 3-8.