Post by elp525 on Apr 4, 2011 5:24:08 GMT -5
Monday April 4, 2011
MORGANTOWN-West Virginia University gymnastics coach Linda Burdette-Good has announced her retirement.
Burdette-Good was named the second gymnastics coach at West Virginia in 1975, taking over a one-year program, and in 37 seasons, she has compiled a 644-263-4 (.709) overall record.
"After 37 memorable, successful and thoroughly enjoyable years at West Virginia University and with the gymnastics team, I feel that it is time for me to move on," Burdette-Good says. "My life is better having spent these last four decades as a Mountaineer, and I am thankful for and proud of all the student-athletes I have coached over the years. I am also thankful for the support I have received from the athletic department and the Morgantown community.
"I plan to continue to support the program and the team, and I also look forward to spending more time with my family."
The only WVU coach to earn 600 career wins with a Mountaineer team, Burdette-Good eclipsed the benchmark on Jan. 31, 2009, with victories over George Washington and Rutgers at the WVU Coliseum. Burdette-Good previously surpassed former baseball coach Dale Ramsburg's mark of 541 career WVU wins in 2006. Only current men's basketball coach Bob Huggins (691-253) has more overall wins on the department's coaching staff.
Including this season, which culminated in a sixth-place finish at yesterday's NCAA Southeast Regional Championships, Burdette-Good compiled 35 winning seasons, including 14 years with 20-or-more wins. Since her first 20-win season in 1981, none of her teams have posted a losing record and just five had winning percentages less than .600.
She has won 10 conference championships, six in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL), made 33 trips to regional championships, led three teams to the NCAA National Championships and finished third at the 1982 AIAW national championship.
A five-time conference coach of the year, Burdette-Good made a name for herself early in her 37-year career, as she also was named the 1981 and 1982 regional AIAW Coach of the Year.
Burdette-Good led the Mountaineers to their first NCAA Championships appearance in 1995, where the southeast regional coach of the year secured a 12th-place finish.
Overall, Burdette-Good has coached 56 conference champions and 126 all-conference selections, including 10 this season. Burdette-Good has also stressed excellence in the classroom throughout her 37-year career and has coached 77 NACGC/W Scholastic All-Americans, including nine from the 2010 squad. Since joining the EAGL, 66 Mountaineers have earned EAGL all-academic recognition 644 times. Additionally, she has coached five ESPN/CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.
A native of Parkersburg, W.Va., Burdette-Good joined the Mountaineer athletic department in 1975 following a one-year coaching stint at Fairmont State. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from West Virginia University, and spent several years as an assistant professor in WVU's College of Physical Activity and Sport Science.
"I would like to thank Linda for her extraordinary career," says WVU Director of Athletics Oliver Luck. "She has devoted decades to the women's gymnastics program and has singlehandedly built it into one of the top programs in the nation. Her 600-plus wins and four national championship appearances speak for themselves. We sincerely appreciate all that she has done for the gymnastics program and the University. Her athletes excelled in the arena as well as in the classroom, and they always represented the University and the state in exemplarily fashion.
"I know that she and her husband Lee will remain active supporters of the University."
A national search for a new head gymnastics coach at WVU will begin immediately.
MORGANTOWN-West Virginia University gymnastics coach Linda Burdette-Good has announced her retirement.
Burdette-Good was named the second gymnastics coach at West Virginia in 1975, taking over a one-year program, and in 37 seasons, she has compiled a 644-263-4 (.709) overall record.
"After 37 memorable, successful and thoroughly enjoyable years at West Virginia University and with the gymnastics team, I feel that it is time for me to move on," Burdette-Good says. "My life is better having spent these last four decades as a Mountaineer, and I am thankful for and proud of all the student-athletes I have coached over the years. I am also thankful for the support I have received from the athletic department and the Morgantown community.
"I plan to continue to support the program and the team, and I also look forward to spending more time with my family."
The only WVU coach to earn 600 career wins with a Mountaineer team, Burdette-Good eclipsed the benchmark on Jan. 31, 2009, with victories over George Washington and Rutgers at the WVU Coliseum. Burdette-Good previously surpassed former baseball coach Dale Ramsburg's mark of 541 career WVU wins in 2006. Only current men's basketball coach Bob Huggins (691-253) has more overall wins on the department's coaching staff.
Including this season, which culminated in a sixth-place finish at yesterday's NCAA Southeast Regional Championships, Burdette-Good compiled 35 winning seasons, including 14 years with 20-or-more wins. Since her first 20-win season in 1981, none of her teams have posted a losing record and just five had winning percentages less than .600.
She has won 10 conference championships, six in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL), made 33 trips to regional championships, led three teams to the NCAA National Championships and finished third at the 1982 AIAW national championship.
A five-time conference coach of the year, Burdette-Good made a name for herself early in her 37-year career, as she also was named the 1981 and 1982 regional AIAW Coach of the Year.
Burdette-Good led the Mountaineers to their first NCAA Championships appearance in 1995, where the southeast regional coach of the year secured a 12th-place finish.
Overall, Burdette-Good has coached 56 conference champions and 126 all-conference selections, including 10 this season. Burdette-Good has also stressed excellence in the classroom throughout her 37-year career and has coached 77 NACGC/W Scholastic All-Americans, including nine from the 2010 squad. Since joining the EAGL, 66 Mountaineers have earned EAGL all-academic recognition 644 times. Additionally, she has coached five ESPN/CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.
A native of Parkersburg, W.Va., Burdette-Good joined the Mountaineer athletic department in 1975 following a one-year coaching stint at Fairmont State. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from West Virginia University, and spent several years as an assistant professor in WVU's College of Physical Activity and Sport Science.
"I would like to thank Linda for her extraordinary career," says WVU Director of Athletics Oliver Luck. "She has devoted decades to the women's gymnastics program and has singlehandedly built it into one of the top programs in the nation. Her 600-plus wins and four national championship appearances speak for themselves. We sincerely appreciate all that she has done for the gymnastics program and the University. Her athletes excelled in the arena as well as in the classroom, and they always represented the University and the state in exemplarily fashion.
"I know that she and her husband Lee will remain active supporters of the University."
A national search for a new head gymnastics coach at WVU will begin immediately.
