Marvin “Ace” Burns played water polo at Fullerton Junior College and then Southern Cal where he was twice an All-American. He worked for several years as a lifeguard at Huntington Beach. Burns played for the United States at the 1952 and 1960 Olympics. He also competed at the 1951 and 1955 Pan American Games, winning a bronze medal in 1951 and a silver medal in 1955. Burns competed for the Lynwood Swim Club and the Whittier Club. He later took up bodysurfing and was an annual age-group finalist in the World Bodysurfing Championships. Burns worked as a dentist.