BIRMINGHAM – Former Jacksonville State head football coach Bill Burgess will be inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame as part of its Class of 2019, the Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday.
Burgess will be joined by Tommie Agee, Willie Davenport, Luis Gonzalez, Bud Moore, Anonio Langham, Steve Savarese and Catherine Reddick Whitehill and become the newest members of the prestigious Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
The class was selected by ballot through a statewide selection committee. The 51st Induction Banquet and Ceremony will be held in the Birmingham Ballroom, at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel, on April 27, 2019. For more information please contact the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Museum at (205) 323-6665.
Burgess joins former Gamecocks Dieter Brock ('92), Don Salls ('92), Jodie Connell ('96), Rudy Abbott ('05), Charley Pell ('11), Eric Davis ('13), Todd Jones ('17) and Bill Jones ('18) in the ASHOF.
The honor adds to Burgess' list of Hall of Fame accolades. He was inducted into the Jacksonville State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003 and then into the NCAA Division II Football Hall of Fame in 2011. JSU again honored the former coach prior to the 2010 season when the University added his name to the football facility, which is now called Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium.
Burgess was head coach at Jacksonville State University from 1985-96 and led the Gamecocks to an overall record of 69-22-4 in eight seasons in Division II. He posted an incredible record of 56-8-1 from 1988-92 and made three Division II Championship Game appearances, winning the National Championship in 1992.
Burgess led Jax State to five Gulf South Conference crowns and five straight NCAA Division II playoff appearances and was a three-time Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year selection, while also earning NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year honors in 1992.
He was a three-time Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year selection and was named the 1992 NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year. He coached the Gamecocks from 1985 through the 1996 season, posting a career record of 84-49-4, which are the second-most wins in school history.
JSU won the Gulf South Conference in 1988 with a 7-1 record, then the Gamecocks won the 1989 GSC title with a perfect 8-0 record and finished NCAA Runner-up. Jax State then finished 6-0 in 1991 and 5-0-1 in 1992 to win back-to-back GSC titles, capped with the 1992 National Championship in JSU's final game as a Division II member.
Born January 26, 1941 in Birmingham, AL. Burgess was a letterman at fullback for Auburn University in 1962. He began his coaching career as a football assistant at Banks High School in Birmingham before accepting the head coach position at Woodlawn High School in 1966. Following his time at Woodlawn he coached the Oxford Yellow Jackets to nine playoff appearances, four area titles, and four regional titles.
CLICK HERE FOR THE ALABAMA SPORTS HALL OF FAME WEBSITE
