Kevin Burns Tabbed New Head Coach at Bellarmine
LOUISVILLE, Ky.--Bellarmine University director
of athletics Scott Wiegandt announced the hiring of Kevin Burns as
the head men's lacrosse coach on Tuesday. Burns, who
played collegiate lacrosse at Eastern College Athletic Conference
rival Loyola, most recently served as first assistant coach at the
University of Massachusetts.
“I'm very pleased that Kevin will be coming on board with
Bellarmine,” Wiegandt said. “He has boundless energy
and has served and played under some of the best coaches in the
game. I'm confident that Kevin will move Bellarmine lacrosse in the
right direction.”
Bellarmine President Joseph J. McGowan shares Wiegandt's enthusiasm
for the direction of Bellarmine lacrosse. “Being nationally
competitive in all phases of university life is important to us at
Bellarmine, and I anticipate that Kevin Burns will help us achieve
just that in our lacrosse program,” McGowan said.
Burns just completed his fifth season as an assistant coach under
Greg Cannella at UMass where he worked primarily on the defensive
side of the ball and helped lead the Minutemen's recruiting. He
also has coached at Binghamton University and was on the staff when
they reached their highest national ranking of No. 16. Burns
started his coaching career as the defensive and recruiting
coordinator for the Seahawks of Wagner College.
As a player, Burns was a 4-year defenseman at Loyola for legendary
coach Dave Cottle. During his tenure, the Greyhounds reached the
No. 1 national ranking and finished among the top eight in the
country.
“I'm excited to be the new head men's lacrosse coach at
Bellarmine University,” Burns said. “It is clear that
the leadership at Bellarmine has both high expectations and great
vision for the direction the lacrosse team will take in the years
ahead, and I appreciate the support that they have for this program
and cannot wait to help shape the future of lacrosse not just at
Bellarmine, but the entire region as well.”
Burns's former boss said he thinks Burns is an excellent choice for
Bellarmine. “I think Kevin will be a great head coach,”
said Cannella, a former national coach of the year. “He's
been an assistant coach for eight or nine years now, and I think
he's more than ready (for a head coaching position). He's done a
great job here the last five years running our defense and
recruiting.”
“I'm excited for Bellarmine,” Cannella added. “I
knew Jack McGetrick, and I think Kevin will carry on the legacy
that Jack left.”
McGetrick, Bellarmine's founding lacrosse coach died last fall
after a long bout with cancer, and Bellarmine assistant coach Bart
Sullivan stepped in as a head coach on an interim basis. Both
Sullivan and current Bellarmine assistant coach Bill Gleason will
be retained on Burns's staff.
Burns said he and his fiancé look forward to joining the
Bellarmine community. “Everyone we met at the university made
it feel as if we were joining a family,” he said. “We
were especially impressed with the city of Louisville itself.
This is truly a world-class place to live, work and attend
school.”
As he prepares to join the Bellarmine community, however, Burns
first gave credit to many of the people who helped him get to this
position in life.
“I'd like to thank Jake Coon and Doc Schneider for working with me over the past five years,” he said. “They have both been huge influences in shaping me into the coach I am today. I'd especially like to thank Greg Cannella for both his friendship and leadership over the last five years,” Burns continued.
“His mentoring has been instrumental in preparing me for the next step in my professional career. Coach Cannella's former players always talk about how much he has changed their lives, I can say with all certainty that the same holds true for his assistants as well. I know that I would not have this opportunity if not for his guidance.”
--Courtesy of Bellarmine Athletics
