Fond Farewell: Professor Emeritus and Athletics Coach Larry Burleson

Professor Emeritus Larry Burleson, who taught physical education and coached track and field and cross country for 36 years, passed away May 12. He was 83.

Born November 1, 1938, in Cottage Grove, Oregon, he spent his youth playing and working on 24 acres of pines, oaks, and blackberries in his beloved Willamette Valley. After graduating from Cottage Grove High School, where he was an accomplished student-athlete, he earned a dual bachelor’s degree in history and physical education from Linfield College, where he was also an All-American in football and drafted to play for the Green Bay Packers, although he chose to pursue a career in teaching and coaching instead.

Burleson first taught history and coached football and track at Tigard High School in Oregon, followed by 5 years teaching and coaching at Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls. After completing his master’s degree in physical education at Chico State in 1968, he was hired as an instructor in physical education and the University’s cross country and track coach.

During a career that would span nearly four decades, Burleson brought his passion for pedagogy to numerous roles, stressing not only knowledge of the subject matter but how good teachers could inspire, ignite imagination, and instill a love of learning.

As a coach, Burleson led student-athletes to numerous team championships and individual conference and national records, with many still ranked among the top 10 in Wildcat Athletics history. He always reminded student-athletes, regardless of their successes, that their athletic accomplishments may be fleeting but their education could never be taken away.

“The one thing that stood out about Larry was his dedication to the students, athletes, and profession. His goal was to motivate students and athletes to strive for excellence,” said Physical Education Professor Emeritus Dick Trimmer, who became best friends with Burleson as they ran or biked together daily for more than 40 years.

“Needless to say, he encouraged all to at least work hard at mastering the skills he taught,” Trimmer continued. “He didn’t expect them to be championship athletes but he expected them to learn the correct techniques so when they became physical education teachers, they would have the skills to teach the proper techniques.”

For Burleson, physical education was about enjoying activities and having fun. With an attitude that “we don’t stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing,” he introduced many lifelong activities to the curriculum, including jogging, bicycling, rock climbing, cross-country skiing, map reading, wallyball, and scuba diving. He was also passionate about strength and conditioning, and he and Trimmer presented at conferences across the nation about speed, strength, and kinesiology.

Retired kinesiology professor Thomas Fahey first met Burleson as a young track and field athlete from San Francisco State, and once Fahey became a professor at Chico State and began training for master’s competition in track and field, Burleson agreed to coach him. Demanding and highly technical, he helped Fahey win repeatedly at the national and world levels.

“He was more than an expert coach,” Fahey said. “He devoted countless hours to helping athletes develop as people, students, and citizens.”

Before retiring in 2004, Burleson worked with thousands of students, many of whom went on to pursue doctoral degrees in kinesiology or careers in teaching, coaching, and counseling, among others. When a reunion of his former student-athletes was held to honor him three years ago, more than 200 Wildcats showed up to pay their respect.

“Some saw Coach as a teacher, while others saw him as a mentor and leader,” said kinesiology professor Traci Ciapponi (Physical Education, ’93; MA, Physical Education, ’95). “Coach had a passion for reading and helping people of all ages fall in love with moving and playing games. He had a way of looking at a person while they were performing, and he could immediately see what the mover needed to do to be better, become more efficient.”

She credits Burleson for her discovery of her own passion for teaching and said there is a large tight-knit group of student-athletes who are still close friends because of their time together under his leadership. They are also carrying on the teaching of knowledge and love of sport that they learned from him.

Cross country coach Gary Towne (Physical Education, ’91; MA, Physical Education, ’95) also remembers Burleson’s influence as a coach from his own days as a student-athlete and undergraduate in the physical education program.

“My best take-away from coach was that he was very ‘old school.’ You had to earn any positive words from him, and you knew that when he paid you a compliment that it was well earned,” Towne said. “He had once been the long-time distance running coach here, so as I transitioned into that role, I was very proud to earn his praise in my early years as a coach here.”

Burleson’s dedication to serving others went beyond his time at Chico State. He was a longtime volunteer with Reading Pals, spending time at Chapman Elementary perching his 6-foot-4-inch frame on a child’s stool to read with and listen to the adventures of his pals, occasionally adding lessons in juggling and throwing boomerangs. He was also a longtime Jesus Center breakfast volunteer and enjoyed helping put on summer community track meets.

He was a voracious reader, an ardent fan and contributor to the Sacramento Broadway and Music Circus productions, and avid cyclist, often taking long early morning bike rides to Cohasset. He and his wife of 62 years, Wanda, also loved to travel. No matter the country, he always found a way to learn the children’s games and activities so he could bring lessons back to Chico on activities ranging from cricket and boomerangs to the Maori tradition of te raku or pa ni from Fiji.

He is survived by Wanda; his brother Dyrol; daughters Della and Darcy; son Kirk; grandsons Jake and Dillon; and great-grandchildren Raelynn and Landon. Memorial contributions in his name may be made to Reading Pals through the North Valley Community Foundation.

A celebration of life will be held in August or early September, designed with the fun, active atmosphere of the events Burleson would host for friends. We will share those details when they are finalized. The University flag will be lowered Wednesday, June 22, in his memory.