Like numerous athletes before him and a couple dozen after, Charlie (Chuck) Burroughs was a man for all seasons participating in three sports and achieving remarkable success in all. But the awards started accumulating well before he got to Southwest.
As a fifth grader at Fulton Grade School, Charlie’s decorated bike took first place in the annual 4th of July Bike Parade at Pershing Field. A couple years later he received the Crimmons Award for character and athletic skills at Linden Hills Park. And as an eighth grader, Charlie won the prestigious Pilney Award, usually given to a ninth grader, as the best hockey player in the Southwest Youth Program. His achievements were just getting started.
During his three years in high school at SW, Charlie won three letters in hockey as a starting defenseman each year. He also lettered two years as a starting guard in football and was the lone team captain in each of those years. In the spring, Charlie was part of a record setting weigh team throwing the discus and shot during two letter-winning seasons.
There was more. Charlie was All City in both hockey and football and Dave Peterson called him the best hockey defenseman in the state his senior year. He also had the rare honor of having his distinguished mug featured on the 1965 Football Homecoming Button at the suggestion of Al Halley, and what Homecoming Committee would dare argue with Al.
Following high school, Charlie earned three hockey letters at the University of Wisconsin and cocaptained the team his senior year. After college Charlie spent 37 years in the education field as a teacher, coach and Principal at Janesville High School in Wisconsin as well as Richfield, Benilde- St. Margarets, Minneapolis Edison and Cambridge in Minnesota. He also spent two years at the University of Notre Dame as JV hockey coach.
Charlie was the last coach to take a Minneapolis high school team to the Minnesota State Hockey Tournament guiding Edison to the Consolation Championship at the 1994 tournament. He was also chosen as Minnesota Middle School Principal of the year in 2004 while in Cambridge.
No question, Charlie Burroughs was a Man For All Seasons and all years for his athletic and educational service to Southwest and the State of Minnesota