Burgau Announces Plan To Step Down As Head Coach
MOORHEAD, Minn. (10/01/13)—Concordia baseball coach Bucky Burgau announced that he will step down as head coach following the 2014 season. Burgau, who will be entering his 36th season, will then become the assistant coach and Associate Head Coach Chris Coste will take over as head coach.
Burgau is the winningest coach in MIAC baseball history. He has 662 career wins and 403 MIAC victories. Last spring he became the first coach in the history of MIAC baseball to reach the 400 conference win mark. Burgau was elected to the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007 making him one of the few coaches to ever be inducted into the Hall of Fame while still being an active coach.
"The time is right to make the move," said Burgau. "Not many people in this profession get the chance to go out on their terms. With Chris being able to take over and me being able to stay involved with the program, I am stepping down exactly how I wanted."
Burgau took over the Cobber program in 1979. He helped Concordia win MIAC titles in 1985, 1993 and 1995 and has been named the MIAC Coach of the Year on four different occasions. He is one of only two coaches in the history of the conference to have earned Coach of the Year honors in four different seasons.
Concordia has recorded at least 15 wins in 31 of the 35 seasons Burgau has been at the helm of the Cobbers. He has also guided Concordia to 13 different 20-win seasons.
Burgau's high-water mark came in 1995 when Concordia went 30-8 and won the MIAC championship. In that season, the Cobbers advanced to the NCAA playoffs and finished second in the NCAA Midwest Regional.
Coste was the MIAC MVP for Burgau's team in 1985 and finished his Cobber career as a three-time MIAC MVP and also earned three consecutive All-American honors. He then went on to play professional baseball for 16 seasons and was a member of the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies team which won the World Series title.
"I am very honored to be taking over for Bucky," said Coste. "He has been a terrific role model for so many student/athletes and has built a tremendous program. I would love to be here for 30-plus years like Bucky has been."