Wow, this is unreal. My friend and fellow teammate Trip Kelly called me from Puerto Rico with the news after his father had seen the report on the news. We just sat there in awe of the news that hit us like a rock. The sacrifces coach made for us were never fully realized till years later. I was looking forward to going to the DeSmet/Sluh game to see my coach and another teammate(a coach at Sluh) put their teams up against each other, and then to talk to Mike afterwards....that talk will now be on Wednesday, and will probably be the quietest talk the two of us will ever have. He was such a tremendous influence on my life.
I remember seeing him up at DeSmet a week after I shattered my ankle, which ended my lacrosse days, but not without a fight, I tried to play for him but after two surgeries it was not meant to be, but when he saw me in the cast my heart dropped, he paused, looked at me and said, "Burkie, you better be ready by the spring." I said I would, and we tried to make it work because I was part of his team and he knew what was about to happen that year as did I, seniors only get one chance to go out on top.
Mike pushed us to be the best we could and to grow both on the field and off. I was on his second team he ever coached at DeSmet and remember it like it was yesterday, especially the saturday morning practices we all hated and how few of us there were. Even in the winter down at the Armory, Mike was there to see how his kids were doing in the select league and was always there to give pointers to improve on little things. Coach sacrified so much for the lucky few that are all better men for knowing him and he will be missed dearly. We all love you coach and you will be missed but never, never forgotten. God Speed Steel, and shoot low, I heard God has a hole between his legs.
Geoff "Burkie" Burkemper
Class of 1996
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