Burdick Antes up on Big East, Friars' Future

by Ken McMillan | Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online

"I am relentless," says Providence's Chris Burdick, the 2008 MAAC Coach of the Year. "Anybody who has ever worked with me understands I want to do things the right way." The Friars move to the new Big East in 2010.

Chris Burdick thought he might get into teaching, following his parents’ lead, but the lure to lacrosse coaching proved too strong. It didn’t take long for him to realize that coaching involves a lot of teaching, so he actually got the best of both worlds.

Burdick served as an assistant coach at Notre Dame, his alma mater Delaware, Massachusetts and Cornell before taking the head coaching job at Providence College. In 10 seasons with the Friars, Burdick has guided his team to three Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference titles, four regular-season crowns and eight consecutive MAAC tourney appearances.

Last week Providence vice president for athletics Bob Driscoll extended Burdick’s contract through the 2013 season.

“Coach Burdick has done a great job with our men’s lacrosse program during his time as head coach, and we are very pleased to extend his contract,’’ Driscoll said. “His success in the MAAC is unprecedented, and we are confident that Coach Burdick is the right person to lead us into the highly competitive Big East Men’s Lacrosse Conference in 2010."

Lacrosse Magazine Online asked Burdick, the 2008 MAAC Coach of the Year, about his job, his professional start and his proud Providence program.

Why do you think you received a contract extension?

It's probably a better question to ask Bob Driscoll than me. I think it gives us an opportunity to dig our feet in and get ready to build a Big East program here. It helps recruits and families understand there is really a solid base here in Providence. If you look at our coaching staff, we have been together for nine years. I’ve been here 11 years, Keith Loftis has been here 10 years and Jim Mascia has been here nine years. It’s a pretty established coaching group here. It just basically affirms that is the direction the college has chosen to go, and the guys they want to see leading the team into the Big East.
 
What is the biggest difference between playing in the Metro Atlantic and the Big East?

We are aware of what the level will be in the Big East. We have a lot of ground to cover to get to that level. We have no misconceptions about that. There is a lot of growth that has to take place here:  the volume in recruiting, the depth of each recruiting class, the higher-level player in the class. When you look at the recruiting classes we had here the last four years, they are good in the base of the class, but we are missing that punch of one or two scorers, or that extra faceoff guy, or that high-end defensive takeaway guy. It's continuing to recruit and get guys who fit the model of what we are trying to accomplish and fit the vision of lacrosse at Providence.

How did you get involved in lacrosse?

I grew up on the campus of Cortland State University (in New York). My father was a history professor, and the grade school that I went to was on the campus. I would walk down to practices when I was in fourth and fifth grade, and there wasn’t really any place for me to play at that age. I would just throw the ball around with the guys. Then my first game was in seventh grade… I fell in love with the sport… When it came time to pick a sport to play in college, lacrosse was more interesting to me.

I jumped at the chance to coach. I didn’t think I would do that. I thought I would follow the route of my parents. My mom is an English teacher. I thought I would go the academic route. I wanted to be in a job to influence young people. I wanted to teach and to mentor. When I got into coaching, I learned fast that in coaching, teaching is a big part of what we do.

You have enjoyed a successful career at Providence. Are you looking for something else?

At the end of the day I want the program at Providence to resemble something more than wins and losses. I want the student-athletes to graduate and understand how influential they can be in the lives of people around them. I want them to learn valuable skills that will help them in their work world and their private world and their private lives in future. That is the ideal of what we are trying to teach here.
 
What are the strengths you bring to your job?

I am relentless. Anybody who has ever worked with me understands I want to do things the right way. I want to provide success for the student-athletes who play at Providence. I am very energetic when it comes to providing a drive behind what it is that we’re trying to accomplish. I am going to care about the people around me. I care about my assistant coaches, I care about the student-athletes, I care about the administration here and I care about the game of lacrosse. I care about my opponent. I care and have tremendous respect with other coaches in the country. I love the idea of being able to support each other, even though we compete against each other. It’s an awesome environment to play each other and then be able to pick up the phone and say, “Man, you guys did a great job last night."

College football has about 110 Division I teams. College basketball has exploded to over 340. Like college hockey, college lacrosse is also a very intimate gathering. Do you like the small club of college coaches?

It really is [a small club.] We all know each other pretty well. Anybody, at any point in time, can pick up the phone. This week I got calls from Maryland and Lehigh just asking a question about a film and something they saw in the tape trade. You know if you want to get better, you can spend time on the phone and they will help you do that. There is something unique to college lacrosse coaches, which is probably due to the intimacy of the group. We respect ourselves and each other. We want to prove that when people look at lacrosse coaching, that it is the highest level out there.

What is your relationship with your team?

It’s funny. I am very honest and very much myself… My players know I will be driven and know I will push them to be the best they can be, but I will give them an opportunity to be successful and I won’t let them have any slack. We want to be the most respected student-athletes in the country. That’s something I sink my teeth in.

How have you changed as a coach?

I think the most important part of the deal for me is understanding that whenever a student-athlete is not meeting his potential or operating at the level we want him to, there is usually something wrong behind the scenes. I am a lot more receptive to trying to determine what is causing this disconnect. You know, people’s lives get complex at times. Student-athletes have issues at home with family members who are ill or not doing well financially or due to divorce. The biggest thing is I’ve grown into a person who cares more about a student-athlete.

What do you want to accomplish in your career?

There is no doubt that being a college lacrosse coach is something I’ve had a passion for. I want to be great at it. When I look at the vision for lacrosse at Providence -- me and Bob Driscoll share the vision -- we’re not afraid to say we want to win a national championship at Providence. People will say we have a lot of growth to go do that, and people say it’s not realistic. I’ve always been a guy who put myself out there and says this is what we’re going to do, and we’re going to work hard to reach that goal. Our goal is to play into late-May. Anyone who understands me knows there is an unwavering commitment to do that. Our goal is to play for national and Big East championships.