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Show A conversation with Coach Art Burtenshaw by Scott Boyle Coach Art Burtenshaw is one of the most successful high school football coaches in Utah history. The Blanding native recently discussed coaching and life with Scott Boyle. Q: After 26 years coaching, including 16 years at San Juan High, what would you tell somebody that was starting out as a coach today? A: Dont make the mistake I did and start out as a head coach. Go ahead and work as an assistant for three or four years. You dont really understand how it works until youve coached with somebody who knows what theyre doing. Dont go out and be unsuccessful right off the bat, because then youll be out of coaching. Q: When you came to San Juan, did you have in mind what you wanted to accomplish? A: I did five years as a head football coach in a small school. We only had 30 boys but we did well in football. I had a few athletes and then found some warm bodies to fill the rest of the positions. I became familiar with a guy named Doug Cogan, a passing guru in Colorado. I took a lot of his ideas. He was a genius offensively. When I came to San Juan, thats what I wanted to do. Q: Why did you come to San Juan? A: I called my mom to see how she was doing, and she said I thought you were inter- ested in a job over here. I said What job? She said, "The head football coaches job. I think theyre going to close it tomorrow. So I called Jim Harris. My wife wasn't too excited about coming over here. I think shed already heard about it but she didnt tell me. Jim Harris offered me the job on the spot. That made it pretty tough, but I knew I was supposed to come back. I had a lot of opportunities that I just blew off. Q: Opportunities are never really when you want them, or when youre ready for them. A: I was looking into pharmaceutical sales and pretty much had the job - all 1 had to do was interview. I went in there, did the whole interview and got to the end. The guy says, "How come you dont want to coach anymore? I couldnt give him an answer. Q: Do you have any regrets? A: Oh no, oh no, this has been great. Its a really, really great place to raise our family. Q: Your passing game is built on speed. That has been a hallmark of all your teams. THE SAN JUAN RECORD Wednesday, November 20, 2002 - Page football conditioning? A: Spring ball. Q: (Monticello coach) Mike Bowring played on your first championship team. Whats it like to coach against your old players? A: Oh, it's kind of a mixed feeling, because I really want him to be successful you know, I just hate him to be successful against me. Q: So is playing Monticello just another game, or is there something extra when you play Monticello? A: Not always. people are saying game in the stands. Q: the state to Monticello. We have never been the same Q: Last year it seemed to spur you on. A: Yeah, last year it kind of woke us up. (The Broncos played in the state championship game.) Q: What do you do after a game when you want to wind and speed development. As a A: Oh, I usually look matter of fact, I wrote a speed through the stats, watch film development program. I never and usually its late by then. Q: How do you handle small published it, but I use it. Q: So the track is part of Become a GroceryBiz Membership Customer and take control ofyour household expenses today! ftcaunt) ' v- r ;; Better yet, $$ 5537J7E12 3458 LKK N CAKOXOLOER V. s.V OR get your gas & groceries VS Seven times in 16 years youve played for PAY KHrO sAS W In basketball you can hear everything its right there behind you all the time and you hear it all the time. But I standings go, but man, I tell you, it took the heart out of us this year when we lost that game as far as On Gas, Groceries & all your other purchases! r, tween football and basketball. dont hear that much of what PRC3HS Vi" times they make it personal and thats hard. You dont hear everything that goes on. Thats one difference be- its just a I mean 1 SKTT off. Q: Is it hard to do? A: Sometimes it is. Some- - wanted to be a track coach too, and have always been interested in sprinting down? A: I town coaching pressures? A: Well, Ill tell you, you have to have a thick skin, you have to be able to just blow it championship, includ- ing the championship game three of the last four years. What do you say to someone who says that youre not coaching as well as you used to? A: Sometimes I think they may be right. This year I struggled. I probably worked as hard as Ive ever worked before but we just couldn't find the right answers. Up until recently weve been able to adjust, but we just couldnt seem to adjust this year. Q: I only counted 35 kids in uniform at Manti. Does that have much to do with it? A: Yeah, it certainly does. Numberwisc, the last two years have been low. That comes with success, success, success. You get where kids dont work hard in the summer and they just figure its going to happen. I keep telling them Its not going to happen, you cant win on the past. But they find out the hard way. Q: Whats your biggest disappointment? A: My biggest disappointment? The older you get it seems like you dont enjoy the wins as much and the losses seem to affect you a lot more. 4357-32$-7 (evenings) said, Burtenshaw get off your rear." Get back to work, basically is what he told me. Q: So what did you do? A: I took the offense back. I kind of got back into it and I dont think Ive lost my fire since then. Then in 1999 1 was really sick. I dont know how I survived that year. You know if wed gone one more week I don't know if Id have made it. I was that sick. The doctor told me that if that leg didnt come off right now, I might as well call the mortuary. Q: Your right leg was amputated below the knee. How has that effected your life? A: Tell you what, it gives me appreciation for people who are handicapped. You can't do anything that you used to do before. I take this off at night and I'm totally handicapped. I cant get out of bed. Q: Did they ever figure out what the problem was? A: Nerve damage called peripheral neuropathy. I lost feeling and if I dont watch it real careful I get an ulcer on my feet. Id had quite a few of them, but I've been dealing with this since the first year I came here. That whole summer, I took gallons of antibiotics. We tried everything to save it, and basically the bone was just mush. They said I probably could have left it on, but probably would have died from toxicity. I told them to take it off. Q: How did you deal with that? didnt think I was going to coach anymore after that, but Mr. Harris drug me back. I really appreciate it, what he A: I did. Q: So whats your greatest triumph, a highlight? A: I think just the overall way that people view San Juan High School now. Used to be a little basketball school and I think weve upped the stakes in all of our athletics. Everybody knows who San Juan is. I cant figure out why they hate us so bad. Q: So was Manti your last game? A: Well, Ive been trying to Theres probably at least twice in the 16 years here that think about that. My kids are I didnt really do a very good all up north. I could stay and job. I was tired, I just kind of be happy. If I stay, I'll keep turned it over to everybody coaching. I guess the whole and went through the motions. key is if I find another job. I I lost my confidence. Mr. Hartried last year, nobody wanted ris called me in his office and an old beat up guy. N 0 RtTihl E R NI E li EGiTiR IG Serving San Juan County Since 1957 Licensed Electrical Contractor Commercial Residential Trenching CalLTodd or Roxanne Randall 1 1 David Johnson 678-237- 6 Eric Johnson 678-355- 4 Call Us For Prompt And Efficient Service No Job Too Large Or Too Small Blanding;Montice |