Varsity Club: Saluting a Legend
September 01, 2011 11:05 AM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Having coached collegiate gymnastics for a staggering 37 years, Linda Burdette-Good had grown accustomed to fielding questions regarding her long tenure. In fact, she had a quick stand-by reply, ready to combat any inquisitions.
“I always tell everyone that I started coaching when I was 10 years old,” Burdette-Good would joke. Inevitably, that answer would warrant many laughs.
In fact, the list of achievements Burdette-Good strung together while leading the West Virginia University gymnastics team is no joking matter. Named the second Mountaineer gymnastics coach in 1975, Burdette-Good inherited a one-year program and proceeded to compile a 644-263-4 (.709) overall record. The only coach to earn 600 wins with a Mountaineer team, she also led the Mountaineers to 10 conference championships, six in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL), made 33 trips to NCAA regional championships, led three teams to the NCAA National Championships and finished third at the 1982 AIAW national championship.
With 35 winning seasons to her name, the five-time conference coach of the year announced her retirement on April 3, one day after the squad placed sixth at the 2011 NCAA Southeast Regional Championships.
“This was a job that I truly loved because I grew up in West Virginia and went to school in West Virginia,” the Parkersburg native said. “To have a career for as long as I did, and to be so successful, meant even more to me because it all happened in my home state.”
In addition to the team’s achievements, Burdette-Good also coached 17 NCAA individual qualifiers and 13 All-Americans. A strong proponent of achievement in the classroom, too, 87 NACGC/W Scholastic All-Americans were named under the coach.
Jason Butts, an assistant coach and associate head coach under Burdette-Good the last five seasons, was named the third gymnastics head coach on April 26, 2011.
“Linda’s final message to the team was that she’s always going to be around WVU and be a part of the program,” Butts said. “I definitely always want her to be involved in this program, and she’s always going to be on my speed dial. She has been the driving force behind the development of this program.
“Linda had a great ability to relate to the student-athletes in a maternal way, and I think her legacy will be that she always will be available for the athletes any time they want to talk.”
Instrumental in the foundation of the EAGL and a former member of the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Committee, as well as the chair of the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee, Burdette-Good’s influence on the sport will continue to be felt for years to come.
The WVU Varsity Club, Director of Athletics Oliver Luck and the WVU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics invite fans to attend the Linda Burdette-Good Tribute, presented by Cava & Banko, PLLC and Watchtower Insurance, on Friday, Sept. 9, at 6 p.m., at the Waterfront Place Hotel.
This milestone event, which will pay tribute to Burdette-Good, will feature several guest speakers, including former WVU gymnast and current Michigan head coach Bev Plocki and Olympic Gold medalist Mary Lou Retton.
Tickets for this event are $35 for active Varsity Club members and $45 for all others. Full tables are available for $500, as well as premium location tables for $1,000.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please call 1-800-433-2072.
“I always tell everyone that I started coaching when I was 10 years old,” Burdette-Good would joke. Inevitably, that answer would warrant many laughs.
In fact, the list of achievements Burdette-Good strung together while leading the West Virginia University gymnastics team is no joking matter. Named the second Mountaineer gymnastics coach in 1975, Burdette-Good inherited a one-year program and proceeded to compile a 644-263-4 (.709) overall record. The only coach to earn 600 wins with a Mountaineer team, she also led the Mountaineers to 10 conference championships, six in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL), made 33 trips to NCAA regional championships, led three teams to the NCAA National Championships and finished third at the 1982 AIAW national championship.
With 35 winning seasons to her name, the five-time conference coach of the year announced her retirement on April 3, one day after the squad placed sixth at the 2011 NCAA Southeast Regional Championships.
“This was a job that I truly loved because I grew up in West Virginia and went to school in West Virginia,” the Parkersburg native said. “To have a career for as long as I did, and to be so successful, meant even more to me because it all happened in my home state.”
In addition to the team’s achievements, Burdette-Good also coached 17 NCAA individual qualifiers and 13 All-Americans. A strong proponent of achievement in the classroom, too, 87 NACGC/W Scholastic All-Americans were named under the coach.
Jason Butts, an assistant coach and associate head coach under Burdette-Good the last five seasons, was named the third gymnastics head coach on April 26, 2011.
“Linda’s final message to the team was that she’s always going to be around WVU and be a part of the program,” Butts said. “I definitely always want her to be involved in this program, and she’s always going to be on my speed dial. She has been the driving force behind the development of this program.
“Linda had a great ability to relate to the student-athletes in a maternal way, and I think her legacy will be that she always will be available for the athletes any time they want to talk.”
Instrumental in the foundation of the EAGL and a former member of the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Committee, as well as the chair of the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee, Burdette-Good’s influence on the sport will continue to be felt for years to come.
The WVU Varsity Club, Director of Athletics Oliver Luck and the WVU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics invite fans to attend the Linda Burdette-Good Tribute, presented by Cava & Banko, PLLC and Watchtower Insurance, on Friday, Sept. 9, at 6 p.m., at the Waterfront Place Hotel.
This milestone event, which will pay tribute to Burdette-Good, will feature several guest speakers, including former WVU gymnast and current Michigan head coach Bev Plocki and Olympic Gold medalist Mary Lou Retton.
Tickets for this event are $35 for active Varsity Club members and $45 for all others. Full tables are available for $500, as well as premium location tables for $1,000.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please call 1-800-433-2072.
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