Alabama’s Burns brings out the best in RBs

By Robert Rousseau  |   Monday, May 26, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Alabama Crimson Tide
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Above all other things, Many believe a college football head coach must recruit well in order to be successful. There is no doubt there is some truth to this notion. That said, there are other things that may be just as important to a head coach's tenure with a team.

One of those is the ability to hire quality assistant coaches.

Having said that, it would seem important to discuss some of Alabama’s assistants, the guys who stir the proverbial drink. And when it comes to Tide running backs, Burton Burns is the man to start with.

First off, when you think of college football running games from the 1970s to the 1990s, a few schools likely come to mind. One of those would almost certainly be Nebraska. Interestingly, Burns played fullback for the Huskers under Tom Osborne from 1971-75, participating in the Orange, Sugar and Cotton Bowls along the way. In other words, Burns saw early on how it was supposed to be done from a coaching standpoint.

Burns became an assistant head coach and offensive coordinator afterward for Saint Augustine High School in New Orleans (1977-79), where he was a part of a staff that led the school to consecutive state titles in '78 and '79. In 1980, Burns also coached at Booker T. Washington High School before becoming an assistant at Southern University from 1981-85.

However, Burns is probably best known for coaching running backs while at Tulane University for five years (under then-head coach Tommy Bowden, the club posted a perfect 12-0 record in 1998) and for eight seasons at Clemson under Bowden.

Burns has become renowned for his adept tutelage of successful running backs like James Davis, Reggie Merriweather, Travis Zachery, Duane Coleman and Jerald Sowell.

Moreover, Burns is a good recruiter. Consider what super recruit Robby Green had to say about him after committing this past season.

"He's a great guy. He's like another dad to me. He treats you with respect. If you do something wrong, he lets you know about it and corrects you. And if you're doing something right, he praises you," stated Green.

In the end, the Tide should feel very fortunate that Burns was hired in 2007 to take on the club’s running backs. He has a track record of putting out quality and well-rounded backs. Not to mention, there’s this other team in the state known as Auburn that is famous for producing some of the best backs going. If Alabama wants to compete on that end, then, it needs one of the best coaching its backs, and Burns is a step in the right direction.
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About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or ...
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