Frank R. Burns

Frank R. Burns Jr. was no stranger to winning at Rutgers. During his days as a student, he was the president of his class, a member of Cap & Skull, a star football quarterback and linebacker, and a catcher on the baseball team. As a football coach, he recorded the most wins of any head coach, with 78 victories from 1973–83, including an undefeated season in 1976. Facing a lack of facilities and money, he used his tremendous leadership abilities to build a winning program that attracted academically and athletically talented students. A former player described him as a coach who "made us reach for goals and accomplishments. He showed us how to be fair and play within the boundaries established. He also demonstrated how to be loyal and faithful. I am grateful that a person like this reached into my life. I am sure that this could be said by a hundred or so others whose lives he entered." The Walter Camp Foundation named Burns Coach of the Year in 1976, and the New Jersey Football Writers named him Coach of the Year in 1976, 1978, and 1979. The Rutgers Alumni Association named him a Loyal Son in 1976. In 1989, he was inducted into the Rutgers Football Hall of Fame.