One-on-One With Shane Burnham

AMES, Iowa ? Iowa State defensive tackles coach Shane Burnham comes from a football family. Burnham was a football brat, spending his childhood years wherever his father Wally was a collegiate coach. A large amount of that time was in Tallahassee, Florida, where the elder Burnham, now Iowa State's defensive coordinator, coached at Florida State.

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Interview With Shane Burnham	_	_

Despite his background, the younger Burnham did not rush into the coaching profession.

“I went on the road and sold pharmacuticals,” Shane Burham said. “But it did not give me the competitive satisfaction that football provided.”

Shane Burnham lived the dream of many American boys, attending practice and games while his father coached at Florida State when the Seminole football team was at high tide.

“(Former NFL quarterbacks) Casey Weldon and Brad Johnson roomed together at Florida State,” Burnham said. “During two-a-days, I would go to their place and nap with them between practices. I would hang at practice with (NFL linebacker Marvin Jones).”

Shane went on to college at South Carolina, where he was a two-year starter on the Gamecock football team while his father was the defensive coordinator there. Shane earned his bachelor's degree in 1998.

After the sojourn in business it was on to Richmond, the Citadel and Elon as an assistant coach. At Elon, he remembers most last year's 22-20 win at Georgia Southern as a personal coaching thrill. Georgia Southern has won more NCAA FCS national titles (six) than any other school. Elon, a small private school, is a member of the SoCon, the heart of NCAA FCS division. Shane's year at the Citadel, a university known for its corps of cadets and military cadre, was unforgettable.

“It is really a unique place,” Burnham said. “The players couldn't wait to get to practice so they could shed their military protocol obligations for a little while. These guys brought it all, discipline, effort and overall character. The Corps of Cadets also provided rousing support for the team at home games.”

Shane Burnham can't match his father's 40-plus years of coaching experience, but he has been around long enough to see the art of recruiting morphed by recent technological advances. Burnham points to the cell phone as a major difference maker.

“Before cell phones were common, you called a recruit's house, you would talk to his mother, father, brother and sister,” Shane Burnham said. “Now, while you can reach a recruit more easily, if you are not vigilant, you could end up hardly talking to the parents. It was even worse when texting was allowed.”

The NCAA outlawed texting recruits last year.

“We want to visit with the young man and his family,” Burnham said. “We ask the high school coaches about the character of an individual player on and off the field.”

Burnham recruits the west coast of Florida up to the panhandle of the Sunshine state. He also recruits north central Iowa. Burnham hit the ground running at Iowa State.

“I have visited more than 30 schools in my area of Iowa,” Burnham said. “Iowa is vital to the success of our program and that comes straight from (ISU head coach) Paul Rhoads.”

Burnham's coaching assignment is the interior of Iowa State's defensive line and he has special mention for senior nose guard Nate Frere.

“Nate is a guy who comes to work every day with a positive attitude,” Burnham said. “He is the quiet type of leader. I think he is going to have a great season.”

The innovation of the spread offenses has put a premium on the ability to rush the passer.

“You must be able to hurry the quarterback, even when he is doing a quick drop and releasing the ball soon after the snap. That is something we are working on.”

Rhoads gave Shane and Wally Burnham a chance to coach on the same staff. The fruits of their labor will be on the field in September.