Burgess encourages Trevin Franklin during a recent game. When starter Zach Lappin was injured midway through the season, Burgess had to rely upon Franklin and Andrew Gilstrap -- both already starters at other positions -- to split time at quarterback.
Burgess was 18-36 in five years, going into Friday night’s season finale against Wren. He became the Easley coach in 2005, posting 7-4 records in 2005 and 2006. He became the first Easley coach to lead the team to back-to-back winning seasons since Larry Bagwell did it in 1975 and 1976.
Bagwell had winning seasons in each of his first 10 years as the Easley head coach.
Burgess opened the 2007 season with a 3-1 record, but had to kick a number of players off the team for breaking team rules. With many of the Green Wave’s top contributors off the team, Easley lost its final seven games of the season, finishing 3-8. The next season Easley had only its third winless season in 86 years of football. The losing streak hit 21 before Easley defeated Eastside in the fourth game of this season.
Easley has failed to win since then.
Burgess is only the fifth Green Wave coach to lead the football program for five years or more. His 18 wins is fifth all-time for Easley coaches, behind Larry Bagwell, J.C. Brice, Bill Carr and Mike Barnes. Easley has had 15 coaches in 86 years of football.
A search for a Burgess’s will begin in December, with a new coach likely to be hired just after the first of the year.
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