Burnett enters his first season with North Texas as an assistant coach.
Burnett comes to North Texas after spending the last five seasons as the top assistant at Division II power Western Washington. Burnett was the 2014 USTFCCCA West Region Assistant Coach of the Year leading the Vikings to five top 25 NCAA team finishes.
Burnett has helped produced five Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships at Western Washington (two men’s indoor, three men’s outdoor) and has coached 10 student-athletes achieve All-America honors. He also coached 27 GNAC champions and five USTFCCCA academic All-America honorees.
Before Western Washington, Burnett spent five seasons (2006-11) as an assistant coach at UTSA, earning Southland Conference Assistant Coach of the Year honors all five seasons. During UTSA tenure, Roadrunners won seven conference team track championships (five indoor and two outdoor). He coached 18 Midwest Regional all-stars, 20 league champions and 12 school record setters.
Among athletes coached were sprinter Teddy Williams (currently plays special teams with NFL’s Carolina Panthers), a four-time All-America who reached semifinals in 100 meters at 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, and William Vesse, a four-time SLC champion in the 110 hurdles, who finished fourth in the 2008 Nigerian Olympic Trials.
In 2009, the UTSA Athletic Department created David Burnett Roadrunner Pride Award to honor hard working student-athlete showing dedication and school pride. As a former UTSA student-athlete, Burnett earned the inaugural Southland Conference Steve McCarty Citizenship Award as senior as top overall student athlete in the conference, helping the Roadrunners to its first league indoor title. Twice a team captain, he was a 10-time all-conference performer, winning the 400 at the league indoor meet in 2005 and ranking 11th nationally in the 100 in 2002.
Burnett was twice a Midwest Regional qualifier, a four-time member of the SLC Commissioners Honor Roll, a NCAA Inspiration Award nominee and a semifinalist for the John Wooden Golden Cup Inspiration Award.
Burnett earned a bachelor's degree at UTSA in 2006, majoring in kinesiology. He also began work on a master's degree while coaching for the Roadrunners. Burnett has earned the USA weightlifting sports performance certification, USA Track and Field level 1 certification and the USTFCCCA advanced strength and conditioning specialist certification.
Burnett, whose family is from Jamaica, attended Carroll High School in Corpus Christi, Texas. There he was a three-sport star, being named the South Texas Athlete of the Year as a senior, twice earning all-state honors in track and receiving All-America recognition in soccer.
Burnett is married to the former Jessica Gertz. She was a track athlete at Concordia University, St. Paul and Minnesota State University, Mankato. They recently welcomed their first child Ezekiel in August 2016.
By the Numbers:
Athletes coached at Western Washington have earned:
5-Top 25 USTFCCCA National Team Finishes
12- USTFCCCA Division II All Americans
34- GNAC champions
48- School records
5- GNAC Conference Championship Team titles
175- GNAC All Conference honors
5- USTFCCCA Academic All Americans
Athletes coached at UTSA have earned:
1- National Football League Super Bowl Championship participant
2- Olympic Trials qualifiers
12- UTSA School records
4- USTFCCCA Division I All Americans
21- Southland Conference champions
8- Southland Conference Team championships
1- NACAC gold medal (Men’s 4x100 relay)
1 -NCAA Division I-AAA National Championship
7- NCAA Division Championships First Round participants
1- USTFCCCA Academic All American