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ACCOMPLISHMENTS
NAIA All-Time Wins Leader (484)
NAIA All-Time Best Program Wins (604)
13 Combined CCAC Championships
20 Overall Conference Championships
6 NAIA National Tournaments
6 NCCAA National Championships
12 Conference Players of the Year
59 All-Americans
107 All-Conference Players
An icon in NAIA and NCCAA men's soccer, Steve Burke continues to wrack up the championships at Judson University. Entering his 28th year, he has won over 20 conference championships, 6 NCCAA National Championships, and coached in six NAIA National Tournaments.
The winning tradition continued in 2010 as Burked guided Judson to 19 wins which gave the program 604 wins and put him at 484 wins. Judson was ranked in the NAIA National Poll for eight weeks and reached as high as 16th in the nation. Judson also returned to the NCCAA National Tournament finishing in third place after winning their 17th NCCAA Regional Tournament over Trinity International, 3-0. Goal keeper Alex Tyton finished the year leading the NCCAA in goals against average and was sixth in the NAIA.
In 2009, Burke had a special season as he won his 20th conference championship, sixth overall NCCAA National Championship, and was the CCAC Coach of the Year. It also marked only the second time a father-son combo has won a NCCAA National Championship as he coached his son Corey in the championship game. Burke, and his father Doug, made the same memory 20 years earlier in 1979 as Houghton College won the NCCAA National Championship. Judson won their sixth NCCAA National Championship with a 4-3 win over Indiana Wesleyan and then had two players earn NCCAA Most Outstanding Players in Gustavo Oliveira (offensive) and Alex Tyton (defensive). Rafa Heck was also named to the All-Tournament team.
Setting a precedent for the NAIA in 2008, Burke became the all-time wins leader for the NAIA (446) as a coach and the program took over the top spot with the most program wins. He also guided Judson to their fifth straight CCAC tournament championship. With the tournament win over Illinois Tech, Judson went to their fifth straight NAIA national tournament.
October 4, 2008, was the special day for Burke as he set the NAIA record for career wins against one of his former players, Patrick Gilliam. Judson took a 1-0 decision against Trinity International in Deerfield, Illinois. With 15 victories in 2008, Judson then became the all-time wins leader for the NAIA at 566, just two wins ahead of Westmont College (CA).
From 2004 to 2007, Judson hit a program high winning four straight CCAC regular season championships and NAIA Region VII championships. In those four years, he had three CCAC players of the Year (Doco Wesseh-2004, Jesus Saiz-2006, Steve Moldenhauer-2007), one NCCAA National Player of the Year (Steve Moldenhauer-2008), one undefeated regular season (2004 - 19-0), and won his 400th career game. The 2004 and 2005 seasons brought two perfect seasons in the CCAC which continued into a 22-match CCAC win streak that started in the 2003 season and came to an end in 2006.
Under Burke, Judson has become the most prolific team in the history of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) soccer tournament. Since taking the reins of Judson's men's soccer program in 1984, Burke has led the Eagles to six NCCAA National Championships (1991, 1992, 1995, 1997, 2002, 2009) and 13 NCCAA District/Regional Championships. Judson is the only team to win the NCCAA tournament six times. The Eagles have appeared in the NCCAA National Tournament 14 times in Burke's 26-year stint, including nine straight appearances from 1991-1999.
Not only have his players received honors, Burke has collected his share of accolades along the way. He has been named NCCAA National Coach of the Year four times, in 1987, 1992, 2003 and 2004 and the NCCAA District/Regional Coach of the Year honors nine times. In the NAIA he has been the District Coach of the Year in 1990 and 1992, Area Coach of the Year in 1990 and has been tabbed Conference Coach of the Year six times.
Born in Plattsburgh, New York, to Douglas and Esther Burke, he picked up his passion for soccer from his father. Burke's father, former head soccer coach at Houghton College won three NCCAA National Championships in his tenure and is the 10th all-time in the NAIA for wins. They are also the only father-son combination to win NCCAA National Championships.
Before becoming a coach, Burke first distinguished himself as a player. He spent his first two years at Wheaton College where he was his team's Most Valuable Player as a freshman. He then transferred to Houghton College, graduating in 1980 with a degree in education. At Houghton, his team compiled a 34-4-1 record in those two years as he was named the team's Most Valuable Player both years and became the school's first athlete to be named to the NAIA All-American first team. His squad won the NCCAA National Championship in 1979 and Burke was the tournament's Most Valuable Player. He is now a member of Houghton's Hall of Honor.
Burke taught high school for two years before finishing his master's degree at the Ohio State University in 1984. He was an assistant coach for one season at Ohio State before coming to Judson University.
Burke and his wife Sharon reside in West Chicago and have three children, Bryan, Corey, and Lindsey. Bryan is a 2010 graduate of Biola University, Corey is a senior at Judson and play for his father while Lindsey enters her freshman year at Biola in 2011.
