Bucky Burgau - MIAC Friday Feature

Article reprinted courtesy of the MIAC and Assistant Executive Director Matt Higgins

MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Bucky Burgau certainly knows how to make an exit.

There have been 1,872 weeks in Burgau's career as the head baseball coach at Concordia College, spanning 36 seasons. And while many of those weeks have certainly been memorable, the Cobbers' retiring leader saved his best for last.

Monday, prior to his final home doubleheader in Moorhead with his entire family in attendance, Burgau was honored by the college as the Concordia baseball park was renamed "Bucky Burgau Field," to ensure his name will forever be synonymous with Cobber baseball. Then, for good measure, Concordia made their coach a winner in his final home game as the team scored a 9-6 win over a very good Bethel team.

Great ending to a fantastic story, right? But Burgau's big week didn't end there.

His final game was Wednesday, on the road, against the University of Minnesota. Not only were the Cobbers literally playing out of their league, as the Division III school squared off against the Division I, Big Ten foe, but Concordia had never beaten the Golden Gophers. Burgau entered his final game with 710 career wins, and none of them were over Minnesota.

Until Wednesday, that is.

The Cobbers jumped out to an early lead and held on for dear life to score a historic 3-2 win over D-I Minnesota and send Burgau out with an unpredictable and improbable final victory. The crowd at the Gophers' Siebert Field Wednesday night witnessed something much more rare than an improbable upset. They got to flip through the memorable final pages of a real-life storybook ending.

"It's been an absolutely fabulous spring," said Rachel Bergeson, Burgau's daughter and the senior woman administrator in the Concordia athletic department. "We couldn't have asked for it to end in a more memorable fashion."

Even a day after his final win, Burgau was still trying to get a handle on his remarkable - and improbable - final act. When asked what he would've said if someone had suggested his team would beat the Gophers in the last game of his head coaching career, Burgau said he would've countered with a suggestion of his own.

"I would've told them to take a hike," he said.

A look back at Burgau's 36-year career at Concordia could definitely fill a book. But with the way the story recently concluded, it's far too tempting to skip right to the final chapter, and re-live the exhilarating conclusion.

Bucky Burgau and family enjoy Monday's field dedication.

"For Bucky to go out that way, I can't imagine a better storyline," said Saint John's Head Baseball Coach Jerry Haugen, who's coached against Burgau in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) throughout all 36 seasons. "You win your last game at home when they name the field after you, then in the last game of your career you go against a Division I team that's heavily favored and you win. That's incredible. I'm so happy for him."

MONDAY, MAY 5, 12 P.M., BUCKY BURGAU FIELD
If Burgau's final chapter only contained Monday's pregame field dedication, it would still be must-read material. It was incredibly fitting that Burgau and his entire family - his wife Penny, two daughters, two son-in-laws and four grandchildren - all stood together on the field as it officially took his name. After all, Burgau's Concordia story is a family affair.

In fact, when Burgau started his career at Concordia in 1977 as the equipment manager and an assistant baseball coach, the head coach was his father-in-law, Sonny Gulsvig. Two years later, Burgau ascended to the head coaching position and Gulsvig remained as his assistant to help the transition for his first eight seasons at the helm.

Now, 36 seasons later, the Burgau family is still synonymous with Cobber athletics. Burgau has held his dual role as head coach and the department's equipment manager for all these years, and his daughter, Bergeson, helps oversee the department's operations. Their family is a mainstay at Concordia athletic events, and this season two of Burgau's grandsons even donned the Cobber uniform as the team's bat boys.

Monday's ceremony to dedicate Bucky Burgau Field ensured his - and his family's - legacy would continue at Concordia forever.

"With the field dedication, I really don't have words for it because it's never happened before," Burgau said. "My family and I are very humbled and honored and it's something that I really cherish. A lot of time had been put into that field, getting it ready for play, so that was just awesome. We had a great crowd, and the college did a great job with the ceremony. It was really a moving experience."

"It was really an emotional day," Bergeson added. "There was excitement and sadness and a lot of nostalgic feelings. It was probably the most fun to see how many people came out to support him. There were so many faculty and  staff members, so many family friends, so many of Dad's friends, a lot of alums and former players and former player's parents. They took the time to come out during the week, during the day, and obviously it meant a lot to us."

St. Olaf Head Baseball Coach Matt McDonald has known Burgau for a long time. He competed against Burgau during his Ole playing days, and then as a rival head coach for the last 20 seasons. But McDonald also has Concordia roots, as the Cobbers' football stadium is named after his grandfather, legendary former Concordia coach Jake Christiansen, who guided the team to a national championship and 28 successful seasons.

"I've known Bucky and have had great respect for him for a long, long time," McDonald said. "Jake Christiansen Stadium is named after my grandpa, so I've got strong ties to Concordia. It's an honor for our family to have my grandpa's stadium sitting right next to Bucky's."

Burgau addressed the crowd with a moving speech that clearly displayed how much the moment meant to him, but it also showed that he was a baseball coach through-and-through. He talked about what baseball and Concordia meant to him, and what an honor it was to have his name permanently attached to the field, but he also brought the focus back to that day's doubleheader and the task at hand. He even apologized to visiting Bethel for his ceremony changing the pre-game schedule, and credited them for their great season. 

On a career-defining day, Burgau did what he's always done best - he put the focus back on his team, and prepared them to play the game he loves the way it ought to be played.

Burgau's final-day opponent was a team that was in the hunt for the MIAC title into the season's final week, as Bethel finished second in the standings to grab the No. 2 in the Playoffs. Concordia played well in the first game against the Royals in a narrow 6-4 loss. The Cobbers rallied for a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to cut their deficit in half, but couldn't get any closer.

That left one last game for Burgau to coach on the field that was now named in his honor, and his players made sure it was memorable with an outstanding 9-6 win. The Cobbers rallied for an early 5-0 lead thanks to four runs in the fourth. Bethel cut it to 8-6 in the seventh, but Concordia added an insurance run and kept the visitors off the scoreboard over the final two innings to give Burgau one final victory in Moorhead.

"It was pretty emotional because it was my final head coaching day on that field," Burgau said. "To put [the field dedication and final home victory] together on that day was simply awesome."

WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 10 A.M., BETHEL UNIVERSITY
Less than 48 hours later, Burgau had another "last" on his list - his final MIAC baseball coaches meeting where he appropriately served the chairman role. Wednesday's meeting, held at Bethel University, had several important items on the agenda, including a review of the season voting for the 2014 MIAC Baseball Awards. But those took a backseat to the final agenda item, as the meeting concluded with a touching tribute to its outgoing member, with a display of deep respect and camaraderie not always seen between competitors.

"All the meetings I've attended over the years with all the coaches, that was a really emotional thing," Burgau said. "I have a really high view of the MIAC and our baseball group. We have a strong coaching group in our league, and I have a lot of respect for those people."

"[Burgau] and [Haugen] came into the league about the same time, and both those guys are just tremendous mentors," McDonald said. "They're the best examples of how to do things the right way. They've been the leaders of our coaching group, and we all look up to them and respect them."

Bucky Burgau addresses the Concordia crowd Monday.

Burgau thanked the MIAC coaches for their commitment to baseball in the conference, and for their friendship, and the sentiment was returned in a tangible form. Haugen said the coaches were going to present Burgau with a custom plaque commemorating his tenure in the MIAC in the form of a full-size baseball bat and home plate carved from maple. The coaches added a standing ovation and their best wishes to their thoughtful gift.

"We all talked about it and wanted to do something for Bucky," Haugen said. "We wanted him to have something in his baseball room and hopefully this is a nice addition. I'm sure he'll look at it and think of a lot of great memories."

That wasn't the only gift Burgau received during his 2014 retirement tour. At each of his team's five MIAC road doubleheaders, he was honored and presented a gift by the home team, similar to the treatment legendary New York Yankee Mariano Rivera received in 2013. He received baseball caps from St. Thomas, Saint John's and Carleton, and blankets from Saint Mary's and Macalester.

Burgau has a room dedicated to baseball memorabilia in his home, and all the mementos from his final season already have a place in his shrine. However, he told the coaches that due to St. Thomas' recent run of success (12-straight conference titles) his wife jokingly questioned whether the Tommie hat needed to be displayed. Rivalries aside, he assured the coaches that he treasured every single token of their kindness, and each would be displayed and often offer fond memories.

"I've always valued my relationships in baseball statewide, but especially in the MIAC," Burgau said. "To have them offer their thanks and best wishes and tell me that they've valued our relationship over the years is really, really heart-warming. It makes me feel really good that I've been able to reach into their hearts and minds and be a positive for them and for MIAC baseball."

"Every time we play, I watch him like a hawk," McDonald added of Burgau. "I see how he handles players and manages the game. You watch his kids play the game and you know they're coached up. They play extremely hard and extremely clean. They're a fun team to play against, and when you win you feel good, because you know you beat a great baseball team."

Though the coaches made their special presentation to Burgau, they weren't ready for him to take the baseball-themed plaque home and put it in his baseball room quite yet. They wanted his final record and win total to be displayed, and he still had one game to go.

"After you beat the Gophers tonight," Haugen said at the meeting, "we'll get it finished and get it to you."

That turned out to be quite a premonition.

Minnesota Head Coach John Anderson honors Bucky Burgau prior to Wednesday's game, which Concordia won 3-2.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 6:35 P.M., SIEBERT FIELD
Burgau's team took the field for his final game, seemingly in a David and Goliath situation, with the storied baseball tradition of Division I Minnesota and the Gophers' own legendary coach, John Anderson, residing in the opposing dugout. However, Burgau could sense his players came to the park intent on doing something special.

"I didn't know what to expect at first," Burgau said. "You always look forward to playing the Gophers. They have a deep tradition and I have real respect for John Anderson and their program. But I thought our guys were ready to rock and roll. I could just tell they were ready to go into the game and give it the best they could."

Burgau said in order to pull off an upset of that magnitude, certain things had to fall into place. His team would need to score early and find a way to manufacture runs. They did, plating two runs in the top of the first inning as Eric Carlsen scored on Michael Olson's RBI groundout, and Devin Johnson followed with a double to plate Braden Rahman and make it 2-0 Concordia. After Minnesota tied it 2-2, Concordia scored the eventual game-winner in the fourth, when Johnson singled and eventually scampered home on Tim Carlson RBI groundout.

He also said it would greatly help their chances if Gophers made a few miscues. That also went according to plan, as Minnesota popped up a bunt in one situation and failed to move a runner from second to third in another. "You almost need it to happen like that," Burgau said. "That's stuff they're usually very good at."

And then, the Cobbers would need a stellar pitching performance. One of Burgau's final managerial decisions was to employ a pitching-by-committee approach that worked beautifully. Concordia used four pitchers in the game, and the final three all kept Minnesota off the scoreboard to preserve the team's 3-2 lead. Justin Anderson gave the team a good start, allowing just two runs on six hits and a walk in 2.2 innings, then the relievers took over. William Jacobsen, Ross Merriman and Bryce Feia combined for 6.2 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and three walks.

"We saved our guys that have pitched the best for the end of the game because we figured if we had a shot, we could throw our best guys at the end," Burgau said of the winning strategy that allowed him to go out a winner.

"It is a pretty special way to go out," he said after the win. "This is a memory I will have for a very long time. It was like the players on this team willed the victory."

Bucky Burgau throws out Monday's first pitch to Chris Coste.

'BASEBALL IS OUR LIFE'
In a sport defined by numbers, Burgau's final marks are staggering. The career-ending win against Minnesota was No. 711 of Burgau's storied career, which included three MIAC championships. He reached the 700-win mark in his final season, and he also retires with more than 400 career MIAC victories as the conference's all-time leader in wins. Burgau ranked 12th on the NCAA Division III baseball wins list for active coaches.

"I've always been one of those coaches where you're only as good as you are today," Burgau said, "but baseball is measured over the long haul. That's why the majors play 162 games, because you're going to have some failure. So [the career win totals] are really mind boggling when I finally think about it. I'm just so thankful for all the good players and good coaches that have put forth a good effort for Concordia."

Over his 36 years, with all his success, it's inevitable other opportunities presented themselves to Burgau along the way. But no other opportunity could offer him what he already. Concordia meant family, and Concordia was home.

"My wife's family is here, my family is down the road in Perham, Minn.," Burgau said. "I'm really family-oriented, and Concordia really has been the perfect situation. I never wanted to move on. It was home."

That was only exemplified as he spent his final head coaching years working with his daughter in the Cobber athletic department, and Bergeson is thankful she can cherish her Concordia family ties on a daily basis.

"I feel really lucky," she said. "Every time I walk through the gym doors to go to my office, there's a plaque of my Grandpa Sonny recognizing him as a coach. Now, I'll get to go out to our baseball field and see Dad's name on it. Not many people can go to a place that feels so valuable and has this much family history. Concordia means so much for us."

Just as his father-in-law did at the start of his head coaching career, Burgau will turn over the reins to a worthy assistant and protégé and remain on as an assistant to ease the transition. And though Chris Coste - who starred for Burgau and Concordia and went on to win a World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies - isn't blood-related, Burgau thinks Concordia baseball is very much staying in the family.

"I couldn't be any more thrilled for someone to take over for me," Burgau said. "Chris is like a son to me. He's been here [as an assistant] for three years now, and his coaching ability is simply outstanding. I'm thrilled that I can maybe pay it forward a bit, like when my father-in-law was my assistant for my first eight years."

The final moment of Burgau's field dedication ceremony was a baseball passing of the torch. He threw a ceremonial first pitch to Coste that symbolized the Concordia program transitioning from one Cobber to another.

As Burgau steps down from his head coaching post into his new role and begins to reminisce about 36 incredible seasons coaching the game he loves, he can clearly see the impact baseball has had on his life and his family, and it goes well beyond the 711 career wins.

"They say baseball's just a game, and it is," Burgau said. "But really, baseball is our life."

The amazing final week of Burgau's head coaching career serves as excellent proof that when one gives their life to something, it finds a way to give something back.