Chico Hall of Fame inductee Tonya (Alston) Burns dies at 48
Former high school state high jump champion and 2004 Chico Sports Hall of Fame inductee Tonya Burns died August 12, 2009 in Los Angeles from cancer at age 48. Burns, who was better known by her maiden name Tonya Alston, was a Los Angeles County firefighter. As her body was brought home to Lancaster from Los Angeles, she had a helicopter escort and was saluted by firefighters as her vehicle passed under each overpass en route to her hometown. As a Chico High senior in 1979, Burns qualified for the fourth consecutive year to compete in the high jump at the CIF state track and field meet. She was the state champion that year with a jump of 5 feet, 9 inches. Her high school best and Chico High's school record is 5-11. Burns was a Northern Section champion in several track and field events and qualified to compete four consecutive seasons in the 440-yard relay, the 100 hurdles, and the high jump. In basketball, she was the Eastern Athletic League's most valuable player three times, from 1977-79, and led the Panthers to a section championship. Burns earned a track scholarship to UCLA, where she was among the Pacific-10 Conference's best in the high jump and the heptathlon. In 1984, she won the NCAA national title in the high jump at 6-1 1/4. She also placed tenth at the Olympic Trials that year in the heptathlon. Also among her accomplishments while at Chico High, Burns was the anchor on the 1977 school record-setting 440 relay team, which qualified to compete at the state track meet four continuous years from 1976-79. The time of 48.7, set in 1977, is still the Chico's school and North Section record. She is No. 2 on the school's all-time top-10 list in the 100-yard dash with a time of 11.3 seconds; she still owns Chico's 110-yard hurdles record with a time of 14.1, set in 1979; she is No. 2 on Chico's all-time top-10 list in the discus record with a throw of 130-8; and she is the third-best long jumper in school history with a jump of 17-7.5. In 2004, Burns was inducted into the Chico Sports Hall of Fame. Burns is survived by her husband, Jessee Burns, and two sons, Jessee Jr., age 11, and Justin, age 8, all of Lancaster. She was born November 22, 1960 and was the youngest of eight children. She was preceded in death by her sister Sherri.