Steve Burns Position: Head Coach Season: 10th

In his10th season at the helm of the University of Michigan men's soccer team, Steve Burns and the Wolverines to their 100th career victory in style with a double-overtime win over No. 12 Northwestern in the final home game of the season. Since being named the program's first head coach on March 26, 1999, Burns has guided the team to varsity status, overseen the proposition and execution of the new U-M Soccer Complex and built a program that is consistently among the nation's elite.

With 10-plus wins in seven of the program's10 campaigns, Burns has amassed a 100-79-19 record. The 2003, 2004 and 2008 Wolverines each made NCAA Championship appearances. The 2003 team set the program standard with 14 wins, earning a trip to the Elite Eight. The 2008 team grabbed its own record, winning nine home games en route to the Sweet 16. Michigan has made regular appearances on the NSCAA/adidas Top 25 Coaches Poll. U-M made its debut at No. 11 in the Oct. 20, 2003 poll, climbing as high as seventh during the season. This set the stage for the 23rd ranked 2004 team and the 2008 team that reached a pinnacle ranking of 10th in the nation.

While success on the field has come quickly to the program, Burns has proven that academics are a key component to being a part of the Michigan soccer program. His teams have produced 54 academic All-Big Ten nominees and 43 U-M Athletic Academic Achievement award recipients. In 2004, Matt Niemeyer became a prime example of this when he was named to the ESPN Academic All-America first team. Under Burns, Niemeyer and Dawson Stellberger were both tabbed with NSCAA/adidas Scholar-Athlete All-Region honorable mention. During the 2007-08, team tri-captain Michael Parke was bestowed U-M's male Big Ten Conference Outstanding Sportsmanship Award while goalkeeper Chris Blais became a member of the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine All-District First team in 2009.

Six Wolverines have traded in the Maize and Blue for the colors of professional squads, including four Major League Soccer draft picks. Kevin Taylor became the first Wolverine drafted by an MLS team. The Colorado Rapids selected the three-time All-Big Ten defender with the 25th overall selection in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft. In 2005, two more Wolverines had their names called on draft day. Midfielder Knox Cameron was tabbed by the Columbus Crew with the 44th pick in the MLS SuperDraft and goalkeeper Peter Dzubay was drafted to the New Jersey MetroStars as the 17th overall pick in the league's Supplemental Draft. Forward Ryan Alexander, who has most recently been playing in Stockholm, was the first overall selection by the Detroit Ignition in the 2006 Major Indoor Soccer League College Draft.

Under Burns' tutelage, U-M has collected10 All-Big Ten first team and 12 All-Big Ten second team laurels. Michigan has also collected a heft of Big Ten Player of the Week honors, with 16 Wolverines collecting 26 weekly awards from the conference.Nine Wolverines have also been selected to the Big Ten All-Tournament team, led by two-time honorees Patrick Sperry and Michael Holody.

Burns also helped Knox Cameron become the 2003 Big Ten Player of the Year. On the strength of a program record 33 points Cameron became the first All-American under Burns when he was named College Soccer News All-America first team and an NSCAA/adidas All-America third team. Michael Holody became the second All-American to come out of the Wolverine stable, earning a spot on the 2008 NSCAA/adidas All-America third team. Peri Marosevic has been recognized on the national stage twice, earning a spot on the College Soccer News All-Freshman third team in 2006 and the 2008 TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Season.

Before overseeing the programs transition to a varsity program, Burns served as head coach for the Michigan men's club soccer team from 1993-99, after serving one year as assistant coach (1992). Under his guidance, Michigan won back-to-back national titles in 1997 and 1998 at the culmination of six consecutive appearances in the national club championship tournament.

Outside of his work with the club team, Burns coached the Mid-Michigan Bucks in the Premier Development League of the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues, a position he held for four seasons (1996-99). The Bucks compiled a 69-28-0 record during his tenure, finishing as national finalists in 1996 and 1997, and winning divisional titles each year between 1996 and 1999. The team advanced to the round of 16 in the 1999 U.S. Open Cup, losing to the Tampa Bay Mutiny of Major League Soccer by the score of 2-1. Burns was named the USISL Premier League Coach of the Year in 1997.

The Michigan head coach has been involved in the Michigan Olympic Development Program (1995-98) and with ODP Region II team since 1999. He worked as a staff coach with the Ann Arbor Youth Soccer Association from 1994-99, and he continues to serve as the director of the U-M Boys' Soccer Camps since 1997.

Burns holds two degrees from the University of Michigan, a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering (1989) and a Master of Science degree in Kinesiology (1998). He was a member of the Michigan club soccer team as an undergraduate (1984-88), serving as team captain from 1986-88. He went on to play for the Detroit Wheels in the USISL Professional Division in 1994 and 1995, captaining the 1995 squad.

A member of the U.S. Soccer Coaches Association and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, Burns is a United States Soccer Federation "A" License holder. Burns resides in Ann Arbor with his wife, Judy,daughter, Kate, and son, JT.