The day looked like a normal game day to Steve Burke as he prepared his team for rival Trinity International in a key CCAC matchup. But this day had an added significance to it as Judson would be playing for NAIA history.

After the pregame breakfast, the team boarded the vans, drove the 40 miles to Deerfield, and faced former Judson men's soccer player, head coach of Trinity International, Patrick Gilliam. This day, October 4^th, 2008, would bring many emotions to the Burke family and their rich tradition of soccer.

After a slow first half without scoring, Judson's Petar Bajic erased the goose eggs on the scoreboard as he found the back of the net in the 61^st minute. In the final 29 minutes of the historic match, Judson played stellar defense only allowing one shot and claiming 1-0 win for Burke's 438^th career win. That win set a new NAIA all-time wins mark in men's soccer for coaches.

Steve's father, Doug, and son, Corey, all had a chance to enjoy the accomplishment. The Burke family was connected from Illinois to New York through the world of technology and text messaging. Right after Judson won the match, Steve's wife Sharon sent a text message to their son's girlfriend at Houghton College. As soon as the word made it to New York, the P.A. announcer acknowledged the accomplishment on Burke Field (named after his father) so Corey could enjoy the moment as well, from over 500 miles away.

From the beginning, Steve saw his father and mother both help with the soccer team. Each year, Doug would have the team over for a supper that Steve's mother would cook. She also took care of the team by washing their uniforms after every game. Burke remarks, "I understood the total immersion of their lives and the commitment that went into investing into the lives of players."

Houghton College is a small, Christian college in the state of New York where Doug Burke started the men's soccer program in 1967. Steve was about nine years old when he first saw his father begin his coaching career at the collegiate level. It was here that Steve was taught the game of soccer.

Steve was a natural athlete as he played several sports as a child. In high school he went on to wrestle and play basketball, baseball, and soccer. But it was soccer that he had excelled in since he was a child. One of Steve's earliest memories of soccer is when he had the chance to travel to New Hampshire to go to a soccer camp with the Houghton players. As he grew up and started to play more organized club soccer, Steve would practice with the Houghton team to improve his skills.

"As I got into high school, I was able to start practicing with them occasionally," said Burke. "This was a good experience for me and I liked being around them."

Since soccer clubs were hard to find in the area, Steve traveled to Buffalo to play for a club team. He would travel north with a friend every week to Buffalo to play with this club team to become a stronger player. "It took us an hour and a half just to go play (soccer), but the competition was very good," said Burke.

Eventually, Steve had to move on after his high school and club play to pursue a collegiate career and close one chapter in his life.

"It was a good experience for me at Wheaton," comments Burke. "I was like any other college kid having to do my own laundry and make it to class on time. Our Wheaton teams were quite good, too."

In his two years at Wheaton (1975, 1976), Wheaton went 21-13-1 and finished second both years in its conference. He had an immediate impact on Wheaton's program by being named the team's MVP as just a freshman. It was after Steve's sophomore season that he closed the chapter on Wheaton to begin a new chapter at Houghton.

It was a difficult decision for Steve to leave his Wheaton team to go back home, but he knew it was the right decision. Steve spent Thanksgiving without his father in New York that year because the Houghton Highlanders won their NAIA region and were playing in the NAIA National Tournament in Pasadena, California, at the Rose Bowl. Steve's post season at Wheaton had just come to an end with a heart-breaking 2-1 overtime loss in their regional final.

"I went home to New York that year for Thanksgiving and my dad was in California with the Houghton team. I was finished and they were still playing," says Burke. "That probably had a big impact on my decision to transfer back home."

After transferring to Houghton, Steve had to sit out a year due to transfer rules. In the fall of 1977, he still worked out with the team but could not play in any of the matches. After that fall, Steve and his father made some memories that would be cherished for the rest of their lives.

Houghton went 35-4-1 in the next two seasons, won the PCAC Championship in 1978, and then won Houghton's first-ever men's soccer National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) championship in 1979. Steve was the MVP of the national tournament and also selected as the National Player of the Year. In that 1979 season, Burke finished with 52 points which is fifth all-time at Houghton. He is also second all-time in a season for most goals scored in a game (6) and points in a game (13).

Steve picked up many accolades under his father at Houghton as he was the first men's soccer player to be named to the NAIA All-American first-team. Steve was named the team's MVP in both years that he played, too.

"I didn't feel any pressure playing for my father. It was fun there for both of us," comments Steve about his playing days at Houghton under Doug.

Life after College

"Sharon has been an incredibly supportive as a wife," said Steve. "She has really supported me through the years and is the one who knows how hard it has been and what I have gone through (as a coach). She has endured the long nights and weekends away. As a mother, she has taken time off from teaching to help raise our children. She has traveled with us, gone to national tournaments, and cooked meals for the team."

After Steve graduated from Houghton in 1980, he spent a year around Houghton working different jobs before taking his first coaching job in Virginia for the 1981 fall season at Alliance Christian School. Steve said, "I worked there for two years and had to coach three different sports."

The first year at Alliance Christian, he lived on his own as Sharon finished her degree at Houghton. On July 10, 1982, the two were united and then went back to Virginia.

In 1983, Steve received a chance to move up in the coaching ranks as he became a graduate assistant at The Ohio State University for men's soccer. He only coached one year, as the Buckeyes went 10-11, finishing up his master's degree and graduating in 1984.

Searching for head coaching positions after graduating from Ohio State with his master's degree, Steve looked as if he was heading to Barrington College in Massachusetts to start his coaching career. As he waited for a phone call from Barrington to see if he received the job, Judson called and wanted Steve to come for an interview. During the interview process at Judson, Steve received the call from Barrington saying he had not received the job.

"I was very disappointed because [Barrington] is where I wanted to go," says Steve. "By the end of the day of my interview at Judson, [Judson] offered me the job. Six months later, Barrington announced that they were closing their school, so, as they say, ‘the rest is history.' It has been the clearest example of how God has worked in my life regarding where I should be. I really have a miraculous story of how I got here."

Now in his 25^th year at Judson, his men's soccer program has become one of the best in the NAIA. Judson is the second all-time wins leader in NAIA history with 566 wins - just four wins behind Westmont College (CA) with 570. Steve's teams have accomplished so many awards in those seasons which include 14 conference championships, six NAIA National Tournament appearances and CCAC Tournament Championships, and five NCCAA National Championships. He has had 126 All-Conference players and 35 NAIA All-Americans. He has done what no other coach in CCAC history has done by winning five-straight CCAC Tournament Championships including five CCAC Championships in eight years.

In 25 years, Steve has coached and mentored many athletes and had several great experiences.

"I don't think my philosophy has changed much in 25 years," says Steve. "It has always been about pushing the players and teams to achieve beyond their expected capacity. We learn lessons that go well beyond the soccer field. Success on the field, along with the bond that is created between teammates, instills self-confidence and develops leadership qualities. Friendships are a great bi-product and in 25 years I have seen how Judson soccer has united people from all walks of life."

Steve has had only one losing season, which was his first with a 6-10-3 record, in his 25 seasons at Judson. He has also had 10 seasons of 20 or more wins and in 2004 coached a perfect regular season at 21-0-1.

With 25 years of coaching at Judson, there have been many memories made. "You can imagine that there have to be many exciting moments in over 500 games played," says Burke. "Many conference and regional titles have come our way, each with their own stories. We took two team mission trips to the Philippines and those were both absolutely amazing. It is now a joy to go to the Hall of Fame banquet each year as more and more former players get inducted. All of these are wonderful memories."

One of the funniest memories Steve has is the old multi-colored "Partridge Family" bus that they took to Texas for a national tournament. Steve drove this ‘family bus' to games and then made a trip to the national tournament. As they were coming back from Texas, after winning one of their five NCCAA National Championships, they stopped to stay in a hotel about half way back to Elgin. When they awoke in the morning, it was cold and there was snow everywhere. As the players and Steve entered the bus, the bus would not start. He said, "Okay, everyone off the bus and we are going to push it."

"They did not believe me at first, but soon realized that I was serious. I popped the clutch and we got it running and we made it all the way back home with our national championship banner hanging out the window," reminisces Burke.

With all the coaching and team achievements made over the years, Steve does not really hold those as his greatest accomplishments. He says, "My players are unquestionably my greatest achievements; I have so many friendships created over the years. From the earliest days, I have many who I can truly call friends. It's fun to see how players begin their own lives and I often hear how they now try to influence others in the way that I influenced them. That's really touching."

Dr. Stuart Ryder has been with Judson for over 40 years and was on the committee who hired Steve. He comments, "I have seen Steve coaching many times. He leads with authority without being an authoritarian. He keeps tight control during games and is not always on his feet shouting directions. He puts a lot of responsibility on the team leaders."

At the Steve Burke Celebration Day on October 25^th, Tom Ensign, who was the 1984 NCCAA National Player of the Year, said, "Steve was just a great example of a man who loved his family, who loved his players, who loved the Lord and who is passionate about soccer as well. For me, he is just an example of a godly man."

On that same day, Steven Guy, a player for Steve from 1984-87, stated, "Coach helped me through a stage in my life when I was learning to be who I am now. He gave me confidence. He also taught me how to play in a godly way but play hard. You live a Christ-like life all the time, but on the soccer field, you still have the same opportunity to be Christ-like."

Through 25 years, many athletes have had chapters of their life developed and changed by Steve. It was the Judson experience through Steve that made these players better and stronger people in life.

Soccer in the Family

"Wow," says Steve on being a part of three generations of NAIA soccer. "It is hard to believe that it is actually a reality. My dad did great things and put Houghton into the upper echelons of NAIA soccer. His success, both on and off the field, has spawned an incredible interest in the area. When Houghton decided to build a new stadium several years ago, it was natural to call it Burke Field. Now, my son Corey will step onto Burke Field and play. That's very exciting."

Doug Burke is 10^th all-time in NAIA wins with 289 wins in 28 seasons and is a member of the NAIA Hall of Fame. He won three NCCAA National Championships, eight conference championships and NAIA District Championships.

"We share a lot of success in our careers and I know that is a source of unspoken pride for both of us and that we are proud of each other," said Steve. "We also are the only father-son combination to win NCCAA National titles and we both have been named NCCAA National Coach of the Year. He is the only one, though, to be named to the NAIA Hall of Fame!"

As the father of three children (two sons and a daughter), Steve introduced soccer to every child. All three children have played soccer through their high school years. Bryan, the oldest, is a junior at Biola University in California while Corey, a freshman at Houghton College, is a member of the Highlanders soccer team, and Lindsey is a sophomore soccer player at Wheaton Academy.

"All three of my children are soccer players and they have liked the fact that I have been a coach," added Steve. "They have grown up being on campus, playing in the gym, going to our soccer camps, and many other things on campus. That has been a great positive in our lives. I have always tried to bring my kids on a road trip with the team at least once. They have been able to get to know the players, travel, and spend time with their dad. We are all extremely close and those are the best things I could ever ask for."