Burnsville Football History

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS
1960, 1963, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2015,

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SECTION CHAMPIONS
1972, 1973, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995, 2015,

STATE CHAMPIONS
1972, 1980, 1985, 1989, 1991,

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THE HISTORY OF BURNSVILLE FOOTBALL

2011 marked the 55th season of Burnsville football. Through the early years the school was known as Black Dog High and the team was called the "Black Dogs." It was an ominous start for the sport as the team and the school was stunned by the death of their first coach, Don Volk, during their first season in 1957. Nevertheless, the team managed a 4-3 record in the Minnesota Valley Conference: defeated Chaska 8-0, lost to Golden Valley 0-13, defeated Watertown 15-6, defeated Orono 26-0, lost to University High 12-19, defeated Waconia 27-6, and lost to Shakopee 0-19.

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It was not uncommon in those for the eight graders to start in Varsity. With no lights, all games were played in the afternoon. Fields of corn and hay surrounded the playing field and practice field at the present site of Pates Stadium. Bob Pates, an All-American athlete at St. Thomas and coach of the mythical
State Championship teams at Rosemount, was hired to coach starting in the fall of 1958. He started his winning ways by immediately posting a 4-3 record.

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Bob Pates, who was to become the spirit of Burnsville athletics, won his first conference championship in 1960, the first year of the Missota Conference. Dick Hanson was a scout for that team and joined Bob as an assistant the next year.

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Bob turned the reins over to Coach Hanson in 1969 and assumed the athletic director position. Dick Hanson compiled a record of 192-56-2 including ten Lake Conference championships in his 25-years as head coach of the Braves.

His team record in State competition included:
1972- State Champion, 1980- State Champion, 1984- State Runner-up, 1985- State Champion, 1987- State Participant, 1988- State Participant, 1989- State Champion,  1990- State Participant,  1991- State Champion

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The Blaze continued in the Missota Conference until 1976 when they joined the Lake Red Conference. Several additions and realignments have taken place since then. The present South Suburban Conference includes many of the perennial powers of Minnesota high school football.

Coach Hanson retired at the end of the 1993 season, and his longtime assistant, Jay Anderson, took over as head coach. Coach Anderson led the Blaze to the Metrodome once in 1995, and retired as head coach in 2004.

Former Apple Valley head coach Paul Miller took over, but only lasted one season before moving on to coach college football.

Doug Boe, a long time assistant under Coach Hanson and Coach Anderson, took over in 2005 and led the Blaze to the section finals in 2006 before he resigned.
 
In 2006, as part of the school's 50-year anniversary celebration, the football field at Pates Stadium was named for legendary Coach Dick Hanson.

Mark Riggs, a 1982 graduate of Burnsville High School, football player, and assistant coach since 1990, was hired as head coach in 2007 and led the team for 4 years.

Tyler Krebs, a 1992 graduate of Lakeville High School (who lost to Burnsville in the 1991 Prep Bowl) was hired in 2011.  In 2015, Burnsville had its first winning season in 9 years and won it's first conference (district) championship and section championship in 20 years.