Men's Soccer | 1/27/2020 11:46:00 AM
PITTSFORD, NY – Following a national search, St. John Fisher College Director of Athletics,
Bob Ward, has announced that
Jack Burgasser will become the seventh coach to lead the Cardinals' men's soccer program since its inception in 1962.
"The hiring of
Jack Burgasser is an exciting step forward for the College's Department of Athletics and the men's soccer program," stated Ward who has served as Fisher's Director of Athletics for more than 30 years. "Jack is very well credentialed, has vast experience, is extremely detailed in his approach to his profession, and is an excellent leader. We are very pleased to welcome Jack to our Fisher athletic family."
Burgasser, who has deep ties to the Rochester area and Western New York, brings over a decade of experience coaching at an elite level including the last six seasons at the University of Rochester where he served as an assistant coach since 2014. During his tenure, Rochester developed into one of the premier programs in Division III. In all, the Yellowjackets qualified for the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship five times over the last six seasons and advanced to the second round or better four times overall.
Under Burgasser's direction, Rochester posted a 14-4-3 mark in 2017 en route to the team's first appearance in the Elite 8 since 2009. The team followed up that historic campaign with the most successful season in program history after marching to the Final Four and finishing the campaign at 16-3-2. Rochester's 16 wins tied a program record for the most wins in a single season.
Burgasser, who was a part of 67 wins at Rochester, was directly involved in the recruitment and development of 27 All-Conference honorees and two All-Americans.
"I am honored to be named the head men's soccer coach at St. John Fisher College," added Burgasser. "I would like to thank
Bob Ward and the search committee for this incredible opportunity. I look forward to supporting the student-athletes, building a championship program, and adding to the strong tradition of Fisher athletics."
Prior to his time on the U of R sidelines, Burgasser was part of the men's soccer program at Hobart for three seasons where he helped lift the Statesmen to three winning seasons and an NCAA Championship berth.
He spent two years as a graduate assistant at The College at Brockport where he helped coach the Golden Eagles to a State University of New York Athletic Conference title in 2009 and back-to-back NCAA qualifications as well.
Burgasser has also coached at the youth soccer level for the last six years with the Empire Revolution Soccer Academy, working with boys U-16, U-17 and U-18 teams. He holds a U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) "C" license and an NSCAA Goalkeeper Level II Diploma.
A 2009 graduate from Brockport with a bachelor's degree in biology, Burgasser was a member of the Golden Eagles' soccer team for four seasons and served as team captain.
Burgasser will inherit a team that narrowly missed qualifying for the Empire 8 Championship last season after having done so in each of the three previous years.