Cheryl Burnett Biography

In April of 2003 the University of Michigan took a huge step toward resurrecting it's women's basketball fortunes. UM hired Cheryl Burnett who had sat out the previous season after an incredibly successful fifteen year career at Southwest Missouri State.

For reasons known only to Burnett she elected to resign as head women's basketball coach after the 2001-02 season was finished. Success was no stranger to Burnett at SMS as she led the Lady Bears to a 319-136 (.701) overall record and an even better 201-65 (.756) conference record in the 15 seasons she coached the SMS women's basketball program.

In a news conference held by Burnett to announce her resignation she stated she had not accepted any coaching position nor did she plan to for the foreseeable future but did intend to pursue coaching opportunites at an undisclosed time.

In announcing her resignation Burnett said: "This is a very emotional day for me. I am terminating my coaching contract with SMS... I told my family yesterday and I told the team today. It was a decision made on principles and prayer and it was a professional decision... Coaching is what I love and continues to be my passion... I will look back on my time at SMS as priceless..."

In conclusion Burnett said: "I have no jobs and no interviews at this time. I'm stepping out on faith."

Dr. John Keiser, SMS president issued the following statement regarding Burnett's role as mentor of SMS Lady Bear's basketball program saying: "We appreciate very much what Coach Burnett has accomplished on behalf of the university over the past 15 years. Clearly she has helped establish the Lady Bears as one of the premier women's basketball programs in the country..."

Southwest Missouri's AD Bill Rowe said: "SMS is very saddened by Coach Burnett's decision to leave our program but we very much respect that decision. She's been a person of great integrity throughout her time at SMS and she demonstrated that again last week with the decision to cancel scheduled recruit visits when she knew she would not be at SMS to coach them. It's impossible to fully measure what she's meant to our university, to SMS intercollegiate athletics and to our women's basketball program but her contributions have been tremendous. The consistency her teams here have demonstrated has put us on the national map and has kept us there..."

In addition to her impressive victory totals at SMS Burnett's Lady Bears won nine regular season conference titles, six conference tournament crowns and posted ten 20 game or more winning seasons including the 1991-92 season when they went 31-3 (.912). That same season the Lady Bears were 17-1 (.944) in conference play, first place in the conference and went all the way to the postseason NCAA Tournament Final Four.

The teams other Final Four appearance was following the 2000-01 season when their overall record was 29-6 (.829), 16-2 (.889) conference record and a first place tie in-conference.

In her 15 seasons at the helm of the SMS women's basketball program she coached the Lady Bears to ten trips to the postseason NCAA tournament, one trip to the WNIT, won the conference title outright seven times including a remarkable six seasons in a row, tied for first place twice, came in second place once and tied for second two other seasons.

Burnett began her intrepid coaching career serving as an assistant coach at the University of Illinois for two seasons. She served in the same role for three seasons at Southwest Missouri State before taking over the helm of the Lady Bears program in 1987.

Basketball has been a large part of Burnett's life going back to her playing days when she starred for her hometown high school in Centralia, Mo. where she earned All-America and all-state honors as a senior. Additionally she was a two-time all-district and all-conference selection. Burnett was voted her high school's outstanding female senior and the best female athlete in 1976.

Shirley Burnett, her mother says of her: "Cheryl has been something all her life. I can't remember a time when people didn't know who she was. I look at it like this: I was a good athlete and basketball player in my day. The basketball was much different then for girls, but we always encouraged Cheryl to play basketball."

Mrs. Burnett continued: "She was born to do this. This is her. Basketball is her life."

In 1977 Cheryl Burnett became the first woman to earn a full athletic scholarship to Kansas. She was a four-year starter on the Jayhawks basketball squad, was the co-captain her senior year and was picked for the Big Eight Conference all-tournament team. The Jayhawks went 92-40 (.697) during her stellar career.

During the 1991-92 season Burnett and the Lady Bears achieved their school's first ever win over a nationally ranked school, first ever top 25 national ranking ending the season ranked 10th by AP and their first ever appearance in the postseason NCAA Tournaments Final Four. The team finished the season ranked fourth in the final USA Today poll. All this following the season in which the Lady Bears won their first-ever outright regular-season crown and went to their first-ever postseason NCAA Tournament.

The 1991-92 season was only a harbinger of things to come for the SMS women's basketball program. They were ranked 17th by USA Today following the 1992-93 season, just missed being in the top 25 following the 1993-94 season, despite a 24-6 (.800) overall record and a conference mark of (.938) and going to the second round of the postseason NCAA "Big Dance" go figure!

During the 1997-98 season SMS was ranked as high as 13th while finishing the 1998-99 season ranked 24th by the ESPN/USA Today poll. The 2001-02 edition of the Lady Bears were ranked fourth in the final ESPN/USA Today poll.

In Burnett's tenure at SMS her players have been selected to the all-conference team 36 times. She has coached a Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and had players chosen as MVC Player of the Year five times.

One of her players, perhaps Burnett's and SMS's best ever, Jackie Stiles, posted the all-time NCAA career scoring record and the NCAA all-time single season scoring mark her senior season. Stiles, a prolific scorer led the nation in scoring both her junior and senior seasons. She was a consensus All-American making both the AP and Kodak first teams in 2001 and was a Verizon All Academic First Team member the same year. Stiles earned first team all-conference honors all four years she played at SMS.

Lisa Davies another Lady Bear standout was a second team academic All-American following the 1996-97 season and followed that up by being named the 1997-98 GTE Academic All-American of the Year. This award represents the nation's top academic honor for women's basketball.

Melody Howard, another of Burnett's players was named third team academic All-American following the 1992-93 and second team academic All-American following the 1993-94 campaign.

As you might expect given a career with the lustre of Burnett's she has accomplished many goals reached many milestones received many accolades and won several awards along the way. Just consider, at this stage of her life she's just warming up.

Burnett left Southwest Missouri State as the all-time winningest coach in the school's history. During her tenure at SMS she was honored with several awards including being named Rawlings Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year in 1994, Converse District V Coach of the Year in both 1992 and 1994, and Gateway Conference Coach of the Year in both 1991 and 1992.

About Cheryl Burnett being hired by the University of Michigan Rene Portland, Penn State women's basketball coach, probably put it as well as anyone when she said: "The hiring of Cheryl Burnett was a great move. Cheryl is a Final Four coach, Cheryl is a NCAA coach, Cheryl is a winner."

So, its onward and upward for the UM Wolverines and with Cheryl Burnett guiding the sleigh is their any doubt they'll be successful.

Burnett also believes in being active in the community and community service. She has been the United Way honorary chairperson for their Ozarks drive two consecutive years. She has also served as a spokesperson for the Springfield and Ozarks region Organ and Tissue donation.

Burnett got her undergrad degree from the University of Kansas and earned her Masters Degree from the University of Illinois.

Some of her accomplishments include:

Successful coaching career NCAA Division I Women's Basketball - 16 seasons
Head Coach Southwest Missouri State Women's Basketball - 15 seasons
Coached the SMS Lady Bears to a 319-136 (.701) overall record
Coached the Lady Bears to a 201-65 (.756) conference record
Coached the Lady Bears to nine regular season conference titles - including six consecutive
Led the Lady Bears to six conference tournament crowns
Posted ten seasons winning 20 or more games
Went 31-3 (.912) - 1991-92 season
Lady Bears were 17-1 (.944) in conference play - 1991-92 season
Took SMS to ten postseason NCAA Tournament appearances
Went to two postseason NCAA Tournament Final Four appearances
Went to one postseason WNIT Tournament
Ranked 17th by USA Today following the 1992-93 season
Ranked 13th by USA Today following the 1997-98 season
Ranked 24th by ESPN/USA Today following the 1998-99 season
Ranked 4th by ESPN/USA Today following the 2001-02 season
Had 36 player selections to all-conference teams
Coached a Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year
Players chosen as MVC Player of the Year five times
One of her players posted all-time NCAA career scoring record and all-time single season scoring mark
One of her players led the nation in scoring both her junior and senior seasons
Coached a consensus All-American making both the AP and Kodak first teams - 2001
Coached a Verizon All Academic First Team member - 2001
Coached a first team all-conference player four consecutive seasons
Coached a second team academic All-American following the 1996-97 season
Coached the GTE Academic All-American of the year - following the 1997-98 season
Coached a second team academic All-American following the 1993-94 season
Coached a third team academic All-American following the 1992-93 season
Named Rawlings Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year following the 1993-94 season
Named Converse District V Coach of the Year following the 1991-92 and 1993-94 seasons
Named Gateway Conference Coach of the Year following the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons
United Way honorary chairperson for their Ozarks drive two consecutive years
Served as a spokesperson for the Springfield and Ozarks region Organ and Tissue donation
Got her undergrad degree from the University of Kansas
Earned her Masters Degree from the University of Illinois