University of Richmond Athletics
Richmond Names Scott Burton As Football Assistant Coach
Jan. 23, 2008
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - University of Richmond football head coach Mike London announced Wednesday the first hire to his staff, naming former Spider Scott Burton as an assistant coach. Burton, a well-respected local high-school head coach at Highland Springs, is a 1995 UR graduate and was a stand-out defensive back for the Spiders.
Burton, 34, has spent the last nine years as the head coach at Highland Springs, where he directed the Springers to seven consecutive postseason appearances and Capital District Championships in 2005 and 2007.
"We are very excited to add Scott to the staff," said London. "He is a great communicator, loves to coach and is an excellent teacher."
His position on the staff has yet to be determined.
The four-time district coach of the year owned a 72-26 record at Highland Springs, which included a spotless regular season in 2007.
Under Burton's leadership, nearly 30 of his players have received football scholarships to Division-I institutions, including Spiders' senior safety Stephen Howell. He has coached at least one All-State player for seven consecutive seasons, along with a pair of parade All-Americans - Victor Harris in 2004 and Jarrell Miller in 2005.
Burton helped guide Highland Springs to the three most-productive offensive seasons in school history (2003, 2004 and 2007) and a defense that allowed just 8.1 points per game last season.
"I spent nine great seasons at Highland Springs and I want to thank everyone associated with the Springers family," said Burton. "But this is a tremendous opportunity at the University of Richmond and I'm anxious to work with a great group of guys and a terrific coach like Mike London. I graduated from here, played here and met my wife here and I look forward to giving back to the school that helped me become the person I am today."
As a defensive back at Richmond from 1991-94, Burton finished his four-year career ranked second with 16 career interceptions. He scored four defensive touchdowns, including two in a game versus Northeastern during his senior campaign that led to National I-AA Defensive Player of the Week honors.
A member of the American Football Coaches Association, Burton served as the defensive coordinator for the East Team in the 2007 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He was an assistant coach at Douglas Freeman High School in Richmond for two years before taking the Highland Springs reigns at the age of 25.
Burton, who also taught World History and coached track, resigned his position at HSHS this week. He received a sociology/criminal justice degree from Richmond in 1995 and a holds a Masters degree in education from the University of Georgia.
Burton and his wife Meg have three sons, Zeb (8), Ty (6) and Keegan (3).