Mr. Thomas E. Burns This is Me

 View all 9 references Web References

1. 1. www.kearnyschools.com

   www.kearnyschools.com/Superint - [Cached]

   Published on: 6/30/2003   Last Visited: 3/11/2004

   Mr. Thomas Burns, a Teacher of English at Kearny High School, has informed me that he will retire effective July 1, 2003 after thirty years of service to the Kearny Board of Education.

2. 2. Profile

   mail.kearnyschools.com/profile - [Cached]

   Published on: 6/25/2003   Last Visited: 6/25/2003

   Thomas Burns , Teacher tburns@kearnyschools.com
   
   Phone: 201 9555050

3. 3. THE OBSERVER.COM KEARNY, N.J.

   www.theobserver.com/SPORTS.htm - [Cached]

   Published on: 9/8/2002   Last Visited: 9/8/2002

   Tom Burns, the highly successful former girls' soccer coach at Kearny High School, ousted from the position in a controversial move last month, has landed on his feet in a big way.
   
   Burns was named last week as the new head soccer coach at Hudson Catholic High School, replacing long-time coaching legend John Cruitt, who resigned at the end of last season to take a new position as the director of development at Staten Island Academy.
   ...
   Burns, who guided the Kardinals to a 90-30-3 record over six seasons, including an NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group IV sectional title, three Watchung Conference crowns and three Hudson County tournament championships, was replaced by Mike Basek, Sr. by the Kearny Board of Education in July.
   ...
   Burns was the lone coach not re-appointed.
   
   At the time, a parent of a former Kearny girls' soccer player alleged that Burns cost one of his players (the daughter of a member of the Board of Education) a possible scholarship for not starting the girl in the New Jersey Girls Soccer Association Senior Showcase, an All-Star game, last December.
   
   Burns maintained that he was only following the rules of the game, playing the players who received the highest amount of votes from the coaches' association.
   
   The 52-year-old long-time resident of Kearny and still an English teacher at the high school doesn't want to reflect about what took place with the Kearny girls' soccer program. He just wants to think about the future of taking over one of the most successful boys' programs in Hudson County, a program that has captured 11 HCIAA championships, including the league title last year, in the 18 years that Cruitt served as head coach.
   
   "I always assumed that I would be back coaching somewhere, but I thought it would happen next year," Burns said. "I didn't expect it to happen this year, because I thought that all of the schools would have had their coaching positions filled. But I received a call from Chip Benway (the Hudson Catholic athletic director) who asked me if I was interested in the position."
   ...
   The first thing Burns did was ask his son, Tom, Jr., if there would be any problem with him taking the position. The younger Burns played soccer at St. Peter's Prep, which is Hudson Catholic's fiercest rival, and now attends Boston College.
   
   "His first reaction was to step back a little," the elder Burns said. "I wouldn't have taken the job if he had a problem with it. Family is always much more important than soccer. But then he said, `Dad, I want to see you coach again.' That was it for me."
   ...
   Burns said that he feels no apprehension about coaching boys, after working with girls for the last six years. In fact, Burns' first coaching position was with the boys at Raritan High School and he coached boys for nine years with the famed Kearny Thistle youth soccer program.
   
   "It's not a new experience for me," Burns said. "You have to expect them to be athletes first. Whether they're boys or girls doesn't make a difference. The only slight difference is that boys have more strength. But it's the same game."
   
   ...
   Burns said that he hasn't given much thought to taking over an established program, one with a long-time respected coach.
   
   "I had my own personal considerations involved before I took the job," Burns said. "I didn't want to feel like I was taking a job for the sake of having a job. I wanted to give it the full attention it deserved. It had nothing to do with whom I was replacing. I knew they had a good program, but beyond that, I was more concerned with the team that I was coaching."
   
   ...
   In the first few workouts, Burns has been impressed with what he's seen at Hudson Catholic.
   
   "There's definitely talent there," Burns said. "I think we've been receptive toward each other. There's a bond already and I feel good about it. They graduated nine key players, so the challenge will be to keep them on the same level that they've been on."
   
   The Hawks open the season with a huge challenge, facing perennial HCIAA favorite Emerson of Union City Sept. 16.