The Shadow
Gary Burdette has paid his dues.
Monday night, the 1984 Alleghany High School graduate reaped a big reward for his hard work.
By a 6-0 vote of the Alleghany County School Board, Burdette was named the Mountaineers’ new head football coach.
Burdette, who was an assistant football coach at Rockbridge County before serving on the staff of departing coach Jack Baker for 10 seasons at AHS, is looking forward to the challenge.
“I plan on building off the positives that Coach Baker has brought to this program and continue in the process of working on areas that need improvement,” said Burdette in a press release issued by the school board.
Burdette attended Dabney S. Lancaster Community College and received an Associate’s Degree in Administration of Justice in 1988. He graduated from Christopher Newport University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in History, and also received his Special Education Certification from Old Dominion University in 2001.
“I have known Coach Burdette since he was a player at Clifton Forge High School and I have always been impressed with his work ethic and his desire to improve,” said AHS athletic director John Hutchison.
“Coach Burdette is committed to excellence in coaching and in the classroom. I am pleased to recommend him for this position,” said Dr. Sarah T. Campbell, Division Superintendent.
An in-depth interview with Burdette, who becomes the seventh football coach in school history, will appear in Wednesday’s Virginian Review.
