Best Cowboy in first half of 1990s? It could be guy causing Pat Jones' coaching tree to grow
Published: 2/12/2013 8:39 AM
Last Modified: 2/12/2013 8:39 AM
Pat Jones just got a little prouder of his coaching tree.
The former Oklahoma State coach watched his former quarterback, Mike Gundy, surpass him as the winningest head football coach in Oklahoma State history last season. When Gundy’s playing career ended, he was immediately hired as a full-time assistant coach by Jones. That put Gundy in the coaching express lane, allowing him to skip the graduate assistant phase and the coaching-at-a-lower-division phase.
The two biggest branches in Jones’ coaching tree? Gundy and Houston Nutt, a former OSU assistant coach who once was head coach at Jones’ alma mater, Arkansas. Jones guided the Razorbacks to two appearances in the SEC championship game. Yes, the Hogs won football games before Bobby Petrino (that’s just a reminder in case anyone out there has selective amnesia).
Another branch is growing. Keith Burns, who played linebacker for Jones in 1992 and 1993, has been chosen as the new special teams coach for the Washington Redskins. (For clarity's sake, it should be mentioned that this Keith Burns is not the fellow with the same name who once was a University of Tulsa head coach and now is an assistant with the Oakland Raiders.)
Burns played 13 seasons in the NFL (winning two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos) and, as soon as his pro career ended, he pulled a Gundy. Burns was immediately hired as an assistant coach by the Broncos, where he has been an assistant special teams coordinator since 2007.
Going to Washington allows Burns to....
(A) Go home. He is from Alexandria, Va.
(B) Be reunited with Mike Shanahan. The Redskins coach used was Burns’ head coach in Denver.
(C) Make his college coach proud enough to spread the news.
“Heck of a good guy,” Jones said.
Burns came to OSU as a first-team junior college (Navarro) All-American when the Cowboys, because of NCAA sanctions, had difficulty luring top-flight talent to Stillwater.
As a rookie in 1992, Burns was the Big Eight’s defensive newcomer of the year and was runner-up (to Colorado’s Deon Figures) for defensive player. Before the start of the 1993 season, he shared a media guide cover with Rafael Denson.
Burns, who amassed 233 tackles in two seasons, left OSU as a second-team (UPI) All-American and a Butkus Award semifinalist. Was he or defensive end Jason Gildon the Cowboys’ best player in the first half of the 1990s? Both earned NFL paychecks. Burns continues to do so.
Written by
Jimmie Tramel
Sports Writer
