University of North Carolina Athletics
Now and Then: Gary Burns
December 2, 2002 | Men's Lacrosse
Nov. 25, 2002
By Meg Schiffman
UNC Athletic Communication
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Pro #1: You automatically like them too. Only a few seconds after meeting him, you can't help but smile. Gary Burns, or Burnsie as everyone calls him, is that easy to like.
urns, who graduated from Carolina in 1982 after helping his team win two national lacrosse championships and going undefeated for two straight seasons, never left Chapel Hill. He now manages the Raleigh and Chapel Hill branches of Stock Building Supply and has done so for the past 13 years.
He has the kind of personality that makes you trust him - even though you've only just met him. He's the type of guy who personifies what it means to be a true Tar Heel, to have stanch spirit He's always smiling and always wants to hear what you have to say. If one needed to sell Carolina athletics, he'd be the ideal person for the job.
Con #1: If you interview them in plain view, you can count on getting interrupted. Everyone that passed by us had something positive to yell at him, some salutation they expected to be returned.
"So, Gary," I began, "what is it about Carolina athletics that has made you sta-"
"BURNSIE! How ya doin?" someone yelled. "We gotta chat sometime, alright?"
"Hey! Sure Jim, good to see you," Burnsey replied. "I'm sorry - you were saying?"
"Yes, no problem. I was asking what it is about Carolina athlet-"
"Burnsie!" someone else yelled when they catch a glimpse of Burns. "What a hell of an athlete you were, what a star - a superstar!"
urnsie just smiles happily, says his hellos - remembering everyone's name - and goes on with his story.
"I've been here for over 25 years," he said. "I know a lot of people from over the years - a lot of people here in town, a lot of people in the athletic department...people come back and visit all the time. We always have company at our house."
Pro #2: You know they'll have an interesting story to tell - one that people will actually want to read about.
He was recruited from his hometown, Manhasset, NY, and began his collegiate lacrosse career under Coach Willie Scrogg's dynamic leadership in the fall of 1978.
"I was recruited by most of the big schools out of high school," he said humbly. "And for me to decide to come to North Carolina was, well, a lot of people kind of questioned it. We didn't have the lacrosse tradition, we didn't have the kind of success some of the other programs had.
"So it was very satisfying to return home and say, hey, we just won 26 straight games and two national championships."
urns's junior year, 1981, the Tar Heels shocked the nation by defeating John's Hopkins in the national championship, a team that had won the past three years.
"We were the underdogs, and it was a lot of fun. Junior year we snuck up on everyone."
Senior year was a different story. The pressure was on the first ranked team, and once it reached 25 straight wins, the final championship seemed to loom. Burns said there was more of a sense of urgency coming into the game.
"It was almost a relief when the game was over. But it was a great feeling, it really was."
Con #2: They most likely will know more about Carolina athletics than you do.
urns could be nicknamed "Mr. Carolina." He's bled Tar Heel blue since he was young and couldn't stay away from Chapel Hill longer than a few months after he graduated in 1982. The following winter he began working part time for Coach Willie Scroggs in game operations until Coach John Haus, a former player and one of Burns's closest friends, returned three years ago. Haus made Burns coordinator of the Friends of Carolina Lacrosse, a group of alumni, former players, parents and general supporters of the program.
"All these teams have come and gone, and I've gotten to know all the kids," he said. "I've been one of the constants over 25 years - and I've gotten involved with Carolina lacrosse on a different level over the last few years.
"Being involved with the athletic department has been a big part of my life. I really love Carolina athletics, being around it. It's been such a great experience because it's what I'm really passionate about."
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Gary Burns could be nicknamed "Mr. Carolina."
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"My kids are huge Tar Heel fans. It's a great atmosphere for them to be around - they get exposed to a lot of things many don't get to experience.
"I love being a part of the athletic department," he said. "It's a passion of mine, and it's been a great hobby. I owe most of it to Coach Scroggs - otherwise I don't think everybody who walks in the door would know me. "
He's not exaggerating. Everyone does know him - but only if you call him Burnsie. Gary Burns may be his real name, but Burnsie is the legend.
Meg is a senior Journalism major from Chevy Chase, Md.
