UF Women’s
Soccer Coach
Becky
Burleigh: A Role
Model for Her Players
and the Community
By David Greenberg
Photography by David Johnston, Johnston Photography
If the tall, blonde woman tooling around Gainesville on that Vespa motor scooter looks like University of Florida soccer coach Becky Burleigh, you don’t have to do a double take.
More than likely, it is Burleigh.
“I love my scooter,” she said, with a smile on her face that seems to be there all the time. “It is the favorite thing I own. I am trying to limit my carbon footprint. Besides, it is a scooter-friendly town.”
The smile is not surprising, and is definitely genuine. Burleigh seems like a person who really enjoys what she does, and where she is doing it.
What she does is coach a women’s soccer team that is annually one of the best in the country. She came to Gainesville in 1994 to start the team in 1995. Judging by the athletic achievements alone, her tenure has been a smashing success.
As a team, her squads have won an NCAA championship (1998) and multiple SEC championships. As a coach, she has earned coach of the year honors several times – 1998 NSCAA/adidas National Coach of the Year, 1998 College Soccer Weekly National Coach of the Year and 2000 & 1996 Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year.
In 14 seasons of coaching, Burleigh has compiled an overall record of 311-83-26 (.771) and her 311 wins already places her No. 4 among Division I coaches (all-time and active) for career victories, and the only woman among the top 10 on either list.
Burleigh has coached 13 NSCAA/adidas All-Americans, 11 NAIA All-Americans, 24 All-SEC players, 79 student-athletes on the All-SEC Academic Honor Roll, five CoSIDA Academic All-Americans with seven honors and five student-athletes honored as NSCAA Academic All-Americans. Some of her former students were seen on TV during the summer as part of the U.S. Olympic soccer team.
But back in 1994, there was a great deal of uncertainty as Burleigh contemplated the position at Florida – that is of course, until she got here. Born in Massachusetts, and raised in Tarpon Springs, she had never been to UF or Gainesville. She had an undergraduate degree in Biology (Magna Cum Laude) from Methodist College and a master’s degree in Exercise Science from Georgia State. She was coaching at Berry College, in Mount Berry, Ga., when the call came from UF.
“I knew very little about UF or Gainesville,” she said. “A lot of my high school classmates came to school here, but I didn’t. The smart ones came here. Despite living in Florida, I had no real allegiance to the Gators growing up. The closest I got was a next-door neighbor who was a big Gator fan.”
THE RIGHT JOB
But she said it did not take long to know that taking this job was the right decision for her.
“I came for the interview,” she said. "I had a two-hour break for lunch, and I called a friend and said this is the right fit. I could tell immediately that there was a commitment here to succeed athletically, and it was a great school as well. All the coaches seemed young, vibrant and enthusiastic.”
And beyond that, Burleigh also knew that Gainesville would be a great fit.
“I went to dinner that night with Ann Marie Rogers at Harry’s,” she said, referring to the former associate athletic director for women’s sports who retired in December of 2003. “It seemed like a great community.”
Eighteen years later, Burleigh knows that her first impression of Gainesville was correct.
It starts with her home in a quite neighborhood in northwest Gainesville, just a few minutes from campus. She shares it with two dogs, Copa and Cody. Copa was a gift from her first team in 1995.
“I love living in this part of town,” said Burleigh. “I’m close to everything, and I get anywhere on my scooter.”
And in her 14 years in Gainesville, Burleigh has found a home. Like many of the Gator coaches, she is often seen out and about around town.
“I love Gainesville,” she said. “There’s always something going on – a lot going on. I love the shows at the Center for the Performing Arts Center and the Hippodrome. I really enjoy the speakers that ACCENT brings in to UF. There are a lot of cultural events. We’re really lucky to have all that. And I love sports, so with all the sports here, it can’t get much better. It really is a unique town. It’s friendly, and it seems like the university and the town really appreciate each other. I’ve been to other places where it is not like that.”
Burleigh appreciates the outdoors, so North Central Florida is the perfect location for her.
“You can find me at Ichetucknee Springs, or taking walks on Paynes Prairie,” she said. “I can’t imagine indoor sports.”
VISIBLE AND ACCESSIBLE
Burleigh has adapted the community’s friendly atmosphere to a tradition she started at the beginning with her soccer team that is maintained today.
“One of the things I like about UF is that it is very accessible,” she said. “It is a high-profile institution, with great academics and sports, but it is just one more piece of the community. That’s part of the reason that the kids who come out to watch us play can come down to the field after every game. They can talk to me, and talk to the players. I would have loved to have been a kid growing up in Gainesville, and being able to have that kind of access.”
Another thing she discovered is that not only are the coaches visible around the community, they are active in it as well. All the coaches seem to have their favorite charities in which they are not just behind the scenes, but active members and participants. And Burleigh is no exception.
Until a few years ago, she was the co-host with James Bates of the Boys & Girls Club Caribbean Cruise – one of the most successful and highly visible charitable events in Gainesville. When Bates relocated to Colorado a few years ago, Storm Roberts and Shelley Meyer took over the co-hosting duties.
“I think she’s great, said Laura Javidi, the Boys & Girls Club special events coordinator. "She and James were quite a pair. It was more comedic when they were on stage together, but that is their personalities. They played off each other very well. And she is still a great promoter for the club whenever she is able to help us out.”
However, Javidi’s praise for Burleigh goes far beyond her role with Caribbean Cruise.
“Soccer-wise she is the best,” she said. “Both my girls go to soccer camp with her. She’s the best in town. She’s absolutely wonderful. She’s a good person, and great with the kids.”
Burleigh says the Boys & Girls Club was a natural for her.
“I love anything with kids, athletics and animals, so the Boys & Girls Club was perfect,” she said. “I loved co-hosting with James, but it conflicts with our schedule. We were playing soccer on the same night as this year’s event. But even though I can’t host anymore, I still love it and support it.”
Burleigh is also active with pet rescue and can be seen every year with Cody and Copa out at the Dog Days Run.
PREPARING HER PLAYERS
She also instills that volunteer spirit into her players.
“Some of them will continue careers in soccer for some time, and others will not,” she said. “I have a responsibility to help prepare them for the next part of their lives, whether that is in soccer or not. One way to do that is to encourage them to be involved in the community, and volunteerism is the perfect way to do that.”
IT CERTAINLY RUBBED OFF ON HER PLAYERS.
“While I was in college, Becky was always there - encouraging me to push myself both athletically and academically,” said Danielle Fotopoulos, who was the NCAA Division I goals and points leader and 1998 Honda Award winner for soccer as the sports top player of the year. “She has very high standards, and held us accountable. We would sit down before the season and set goals. Those goals were often revisited so they were always in focus. She has been such a positive influence in my life. She is my life coach and best friend, now. Whenever I need advice or a friend, she is and has always been there for me. She taught me to be a leader and to always do what is best for others, including our Gator team.”
As a result of all that, over the years, parents of her players have come to Burleigh to thank her for her part in shaping their child.
With kudos like that, UF Athletic Director Jeremy Foley knows that the Gators are fortunate to have someone like Burleigh.
“When you meet Becky, you can see right away that she is a person that players and their parents can relate to,” he said. “I knew that would help with recruiting. Success in recruiting leads to success on the field. And the Gator soccer program has enjoyed competitive success over the years, thanks to Becky’s impact.
“Becky enjoys being involved and being with people,” Foley continued. “That is why she has been so active in the university and Gainesville community since her arrival. She’s always looking for a way to help, which is a great example to set for the young women that she leads.”
So with Burleigh’s love for this community and her glowing soccer resume, there can be a debate about whether it was better for UF and the community or for her that their paths came together in 1994. But the outcome of that debate is simple – it’s a tie.