Paul Burns is in his fourth season as an assistant coach for A&M-Commerce, bringing with him over 20 years of coaching and teaching experience.
The Lions have qualified for the NCAA Tournament in all three seasons Burns has been on the staff, including two times making the round of 16. Four players have been named All-Americans, including Vicky Back, who was the first A&M-Commerce player in history to be named a First Team All-American.
Â
During the 2016 season, the Lions went 15-6-1 and won the regular season LSC Championship. They qualified for the NCAA Division II Tournament and advanced into the Sweet 16. Savannah Grasser and Vicky Back were named All-Americans, with Back being named to three different First Team All-America lists. In addition, Back was named LSC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year and Grasser was named Forward of the Year. Back and Grasser were also named Scholar All-Americans as well.
Â
In 2015 the team finished the year 13-6-2 and was the LSC postseason Tournament Champions, with Grasser and Back again being named All-Americans. During the 2014 season, the team finished 16-5-1 and won the regular season and postseason championships and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Grasser was named LSC Player of the Year.
Burns spent the previous 17 seasons as the head coach at Austin College in Sherman, building the Kangaroo program from scratch. He compiled a 176-117-26 (.592) record while leading Austin College to three NCAA tournament berths, the 2000 American Southwest Conference championship and four-straight east division titles.
During his time in Sherman, Burns' players accounted for over 100 All-Conference and Academic All-Conference honors. He helped guide the 'Roos to 14-straight winning seasons as well as success in the classroom as his teams consistently boasted a 3.0 GPA or higher.
Prior to starting the program at Austin College, Burns spent one season at Stephen's College in Columbia, Missouri, where he also started the Stars' soccer program. He holds his "A" License from the United States Soccer Federation as well as his premier license from the National Soccer Coaches of America.
Burns earned his undergraduate degree in Sports and Recreation Studies from Staffordshire University in the United Kingdom. There he was an accomplished player, helping lead Staffordshire to the National Finals. Burns went on to earn his master's degree in Health and Exercise Science from the University of Missouri.
Burns' wife Holly is an elementary school teacher and the couple have two children, Jade and McKinlee. He remains active on the pitch, competing in the Dallas Men's Outdoor Premier Soccer League.
