- Jerry Burns
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Jerry Burns Sport(s) Football Biographical details Born January 24, 1927 Place of birth Detroit, Michigan Playing career 1947–1950 Michigan Position(s) Quarterback Coaching career (HC unless noted) 1951
1952
1953
1954–1960
1961–1965
1966–1967
1968–1985
1986–1991Hawaii (assistant)
Whittier (assistant)
St. Mary's of Redford HS (MI)
Iowa (assistant)
Iowa
Green Bay Packers (assistant)
Minnesota Vikings (OC)
Minnesota VikingsHead coaching record Overall 16–27–2 (college)
55–46 (NFL)Statistics College Football Data Warehouse Jerome Monahan "Jerry" Burns (born January 24, 1927) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Iowa, from 1961 to 1965, compiling record of 16–27–2, and for the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL from 1986 to 1991, tallying a mark of 55–46.
Contents
Playing and early coaching careers
Burns played quarterback at the University of Michigan from 1947–1950. Michigan won four consecutive Big Ten Conference titles when Burns was with the Wolverines. He graduated in February 1951 with a physical education degree.
Burns then began his coaching career. He served as the head baseball coach and assistant football coach with the University of Hawaii in 1951. Burns left Hawaii to coach at Whittier College in 1952, where he was the head basketball coach and an assistant football coach. At the beginning of 1953, he left Whittier and took a job as head football and head basketball coach at St. Mary's of Redford High School in Detroit, Michigan. Following the 1953 football season at St. Mary's, Burns was hired by fellow Michigan alumnus Forest Evashevski as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa.
Burns began serving as an assistant coach at Iowa under Evashevski, or "Evy", in 1954.[1] He coached the freshman team for most of 1954 before helping with the varsity squad. He coached the backs (running backs, quarterbacks, fullbacks, and defensive backs) in 1955 and 1956. After the 1956 season, defensive coordinator Bump Elliott left to coach at Michigan. Burns was put in charge of the defensive unit, and in his final three years as an assistant, he was in charge of recruiting activities as well.
Iowa head coach
Burns served seven total years as an assistant coach to Evashevski.[1] As part of a deal with Iowa Athletic Board, Evy was appointed as Iowa's athletic director and agreed to appoint his successor as head football coach at Iowa. Evy appointed Burns to succeed him, and Burns became Iowa's 20th head football coach beginning with the 1961 season. He was just 34 years old.[2]
Burns was placed in a very difficult situation. He was replacing a legend in Evashevski, who compiled a 52–27–4 record in nine years at Iowa. Furthermore, Burns was extremely young to be a head football coach at a Big Ten Conference university. Before his first game as a college head coach, his 1961 Hawkeye team was named as the preseason number one team in the nation in the AP Poll.[2]
Iowa defended their lofty ranking by winning their first four games in 1961, but then the Hawks hit a disappointing slide, losing their next four. In their final game of the year, the Hawkeyes defeated Notre Dame, 42–21.[3] It was Iowa's fifth win in six years over the Irish.[3] Iowa finished the season 5–4, their last winning record until 1981.
In 1962, for the only time in school history, Iowa defeated both Michigan and Ohio State in the same year. Unfortunately, the Hawkeyes won only two other games and posted a 4–5 final record. Iowa might have posted a winning record in 1963, but the school's final game of the season against Notre Dame was canceled on account of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The Hawkeyes finished 1963 with a 3–3–2 record.
A 3–0 start in the 1964 season quickly turned sour, as the Hawkeyes lost their final six games. Burns was now in real danger of being fired, but Iowa had several players returning in 1965, and the Hawkeyes were expected to be very good. Burns was allowed to return in 1965. Before the 1965 season, Playboy Magazine picked Iowa as their preseason number one team in the nation and predicted a 9–1 record for the Hawks. Instead, Iowa finished the year 1–9, and before Iowa's final game that season, it was announced that Burns would not be retained in 1966.
At least publicly, Burns took the firing with a great deal of class. He said, "I want to be emphatic. I hold no ill feelings toward anyone. I hope, I sincerely hope, Iowa has great success in football in the future. If I can contribute to that future, I will." After his final game, his players hoisted him on their shoulders and carried him off the field, despite the loss.[4]
There were those who insisted that Forest Evashevski wanted to be called back as football coach and that rather than helping Burns to succeed, Evy hampered him with rules and regulations that were not in force when Evy was the coach. But Burns ultimately said, "If we have failed, and we have, I'll take the responsibility for that. It is not the players' fault. They have done the best they can." [5] He had a 16–27–2 record at Iowa.
Professional coaching career
Burns was only 38 years of age when he was fired at Iowa. He moved on to the Green Bay Packers of the NFL and served for two years as an assistant coach to Vince Lombardi in 1966 and 1967 when the Packers won Super Bowl I and Super Bowl II.[6][7] When Lombardi retired after the 1967 season, Burns was hired by Bud Grant of the Minnesota Vikings. Grant hired Burns to be his offensive coordinator. Burns served as Minnesota's offensive coordinator for the next 18 years, from 1968–1985. During that time, the Vikings made the playoffs 12 times, won 11 division titles, and played in four Super Bowls. Jerry Burns was the original creator of what later became known as the "West Coast Offense".
When Grant retired from coaching in 1985, Burns was named as the fourth head coach of the Minnesota Vikings on January 7, 1986. He coached Minnesota for six years, from 1986 to 1991. Burns compiled a record of 52–43 and led the Vikings to the playoffs three times.[8] He helped the Vikings win the division title in 1989 and led them to the NFC championship game in 1987. He announced his retirement as head coach on December 4, 1991.[9] On November 5, 1989, Burns gave a profanity laced tirade at a media session where he defended his offensive coordinator, Bob Schnelker,[10] despite the fact that the Vikings' Rich Karlis kicked a then league record-tying seven field goals.
Burns retired from coaching after the 1991 NFL season. He has been nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but has yet to gain the votes necessary for induction. In 1998, Burns gave the Hall of Fame induction speech for Paul Krause, a defensive back he coached both at Iowa and with the Vikings.
Head coaching record
College
Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Iowa Hawkeyes (Big Ten Conference) (1961–1965) 1961 Iowa 5–4 2–4 T–7th 1962 Iowa 4–5 3–3 T–5th 1963 Iowa 3–3–2 2–3–1 8th 1964 Iowa 3–6 1–5 T–9th 1965 Iowa 1–9 0–7 10th Iowa: 16–27–2 8–22–1 Total: 16–27–2 References
- ^ a b "Backfield Coach Burns Succeeds Evashevski". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Associated Press. 1960-11-20. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3nseAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-ckEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6432,3527266. Retrieved 2010-05-15.
- ^ a b "Hawkeyes Under Spotlight". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Associated Press. 1961-09-13. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MVsrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2ZwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2807,2343723. Retrieved 2010-05-15.
- ^ a b "Iowa Belts Notre Dame By 42 to 21". The Pittsburgh Press. United Press International. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mUYqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sE4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=7027,3183878. Retrieved 2010-05-15.
- ^ 25 Years With The Fighting Hawkeyes, 1964-1988, by Al Grady, Page 9 (ASIN: B0006ES3GS)
- ^ Grady, Page 10
- ^ "Packers Hire Jerry Burns As Assistant". The Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. 1966-02-01. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nJouAAAAIBAJ&sjid=np8FAAAAIBAJ&pg=5685,152349. Retrieved 2010-05-15.
- ^ "Burns Quits Packer Staff". The Milwaukee Journal. 1968-02-19. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bgIkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=d34EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3268,2216762. Retrieved 2010-05-15.
- ^ "Jerry Burns". Pro Football Reference. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/BurnJe0.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-15.
- ^ "Vikings' Burns Will Retire After Season". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Associated Press. 1991-12-05. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AMcdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=s74EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3404,8266004. Retrieved 2010-05-15.
- ^ Weyler, John (1989-11-06). "Viking Coach Lashes Out at Critics of His Offensive Coordinator". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1989-11-06/sports/sp-715_1_offensive-coordinator. Retrieved 2010-05-15.
External links
- Jerry Burns at the College Football Data Warehouse
- Jerry Burns Tirade (audio)
- Jerry Burns Tirade (video)
- Krause's Pro Hall of Fame Induction Speech
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors head baseball coaches Otto Klum (1923–1936) • No team (1937) • Eugene Gill (1938–1939) • No team (1940) • Tom Kaulukukui (1941) • No team (1942–1945) • Jesse James Kelly (1946) • Tom Kaulukukui (1947–1949) • Toka Tanaka (1950–1951) • Jerry Burns (1952) • Jim Asato (1953) • Thomas Ige (1954) • Toka Tanaka (1955–1960) • Henry Tominaga (1961–1962) • No team (1964) • Jyun Hirota (1965) • Henry Tominaga (1966–1968) • Dick Kitamura (1969) • No team (1970) • Les Murakami (1971–2000) • Carl Furutani (2001) • Mike Trapasso (2002– )
Iowa Hawkeyes head football coaches No coach (1889–1891) • E. A. Dalton (1892) • Ben "Sport" Donnelly (1893) • Roger Sherman (1894) • No coach (1895) • Alfred E. Bull (1896) • Otto Wagonhurst (1897) • Alden Knipe (1898–1902) • John Chalmers (1903–1905) • Mark Catlin, Sr. (1906–1908) • John G. Griffith (1909) • Jesse Hawley (1910–1915) • Howard Jones (1916–1923) • Burt Ingwersen (1924–1931) • Ossie Solem (1932–1936) • Irl Tubbs (1937–1938) • Eddie Anderson (1939–1942) • Slip Madigan (1943–1944) • Clem Crowe (1945) • Eddie Anderson (1946–1949) • Leonard Raffensperger (1950–1951) • Forest Evashevski (1952–1960) • Jerry Burns (1961–1965) • Ray Nagel (1966–1970) • Frank Lauterbur (1971–1973) • Bob Commings (1974–1978) • Hayden Fry (1979–1998) • Kirk Ferentz (1999– )
Minnesota Vikings head coaches Norm Van Brocklin (1961–1966) • Bud Grant (1967–1983) • Les Steckel (1984) • Bud Grant (1985) • Jerry Burns (1986–1991) • Dennis Green (1992–2001) • Mike Tice (2001–2005) • Brad Childress (2006–2010) • Leslie Frazier (2010– )
Green Bay Packers Super Bowl I Champions 5 Paul Hornung | 12 Zeke Bratkowski | 15 Bart Starr (MVP) | 21 Bob Jeter | 22 Elijah Pitts | 24 Willie Wood | 26 Herb Adderley | 27 Red Mack | 31 Jim Taylor | 33 Jim Grabowski | 34 Don Chandler | 37 Phil Vandersea | 40 Tom Brown | 43 Doug Hart | 44 Donny Anderson | 45 Dave Hathcock | 50 Bill Curry | 56 Tommy Crutcher | 57 Ken Bowman | 60 Lee Roy Caffey | 63 Fred Thurston | 64 Jerry Kramer | 66 Ray Nitschke | 68 Gale Gillingham | 72 Steve Wright | 73 Jim Weatherwax | 74 Henry Jordan | 75 Forrest Gregg | 76 Bob Skoronski | 77 Ron Kostelnik | 78 Bob Brown | 80 Bob Long | 81 Marv Fleming | 82 Lionel Aldridge | 84 Carroll Dale | 85 Max McGee | 86 Boyd Dowler | 87 Willie Davis | 88 Bill Anderson | 89 Dave Robinson
Head Coach: Vince Lombardi
Coaches: Phil Bengtson | Jerry Burns | Red Cochran | Dave Hanner | Bob Schnelker | Ray WietechaGreen Bay Packers Super Bowl II Champions 12 Zeke Bratkowski | 13 Don Horn | 15 Bart Starr (MVP) | 21 Bob Jeter | 23 Travis Williams | 24 Willie Wood | 26 Herb Adderley | 30 Chuck Mercein | 33 Jim Grabowski | 34 Don Chandler | 36 Ben Wilson | 40 Tom Brown | 43 Doug Hart | 44 Donny Anderson | 45 John Rowser | 50 Bob Hyland | 55 Jim Flanigan | 56 Tommy Crutcher | 57 Ken Bowman | 60 Lee Roy Caffey | 63 Fred Thurston | 64 Jerry Kramer | 66 Ray Nitschke | 68 Gale Gillingham | 72 Steve Wright | 73 Jim Weatherwax | 74 Henry Jordan | 75 Forrest Gregg | 76 Bob Skoronski | 77 Ron Kostelnik | 78 Bob Brown | 80 Bob Long | 81 Marv Fleming | 82 Lionel Aldridge | 83 Allen Brown | 84 Carroll Dale | 85 Max McGee | 86 Boyd Dowler | 87 Willie Davis | 88 Dick Capp | 89 Dave Robinson
Head Coach: Vince Lombardi
Coaches: Phil Bengtson | Jerry Burns | Wally Cruice | Dave Hanner | Tom McCormick | Bob Schnelker | Ray WietechaMinnesota Vikings Ring of Honor Founded in 1961 • Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota 1998 inductees 1999 inductees 2001 inductees 2002 inductees 2003 inductees 2004 inductees 2005 inductees Jerry Burns2006 inductees 2007 inductees 2008 inductees 2009 inductees 2011 inductees Categories:- 1927 births
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