Towson Names Shawn Burke as New Head Coach of Boys' Lacrosse Program

Towson High School boys' lacrosse, a program which has as rich a tradition as any in Maryland, has named Shawn Burke as the school's new head coach.

The Generals have won four state titles during the MPSSAA era, with the most recent coming in 1997.

"I'm ecstatic. It's not often that one of the head coaching jobs becomes open at one of the traditional lacrosse powers in the Baltimore area," Burke said. "It's a great school academically and a great area with lots of lacrosse talent."

Keeping that lacrosse talent local will be a big part of Burke's job. Many of the Towson area's top players have plied their trade at private schools in recent years- Burke hopes to change that.

"One of the goals that we have is to get into the community more, so everyone knows what a great product we have both academically and in the athletic department," Burke said. "Justin Nash is a younger AD, aggressive and wants to build something special. Year in and year out we want to keep our players at home- if we do that, Towson should be able to compete for state titles consistently."

For now, Burke has already gotten going looking over the game film of his team from last season. It's a talented bunch that picked up a win in the playoffs against Patapsco before losing to Hereford, which went on to win the MPSSAA 3A/2A North title.

"We're returning some great players. I'm excited about getting to the Fall and getting hands on with the personality of the team and working with the chemistry," Burke said. "They've had some success, so it isn't a situation where you need to overhaul everything. I want to build on what they've done well and just tweak some things."

Below is a press release that was made available to CSZ by Nash announcing Burke as the program's new head coach.

Towson High School is pleased to announce the appointment of Shawn Burke as the new coach for the boys' varsity lacrosse team.

As a high school attackman prepping at Calvert Hall College High School, Burke was an All Baltimore City/County selection in 1991 under former coach Mike Thomas. He then moved on to play for current Lacrosse Hall of Fame Coach Don Zimmerman at the University of Maryland at Baltimore County. After finishing his playing career at UMBC in 1996, Burke returned to his high school alma mater as an offensive assistant coach for the Cardinals (1997-2002).

In 2003, Burke was named Head Men's Lacrosse Coach at Howard Community College in Columbia, Md. During his tenure at Howard, Burke was named the NJCAA Region XX Coach of the Year in 2005, 2006 and 2007. He helped produce the program's first 10 NJCAA All-Americans, as well a total of 33 NJCAA All-Region XX student-athletes. Burke also helped guide the Dragons to its first ever Maryland JUCO title in 2006, as well as its first ever appearance in the NJCAA National Final Four, finishing with a No. 3 national ranking in Lacrosse Magazine and Inside Lacrosse. During the 2007 season, the Dragons offense averaged a hefty 18.4 goals per game, produced three NJCAA All-Americans on the offensive end, as well as the NJCAA Region XX Offensive Player of the Year, for the second year in a row.

Burke was named the Head Men's Lacrosse Coach at CCBC Essex in 2010. He led the Knights to seven consecutive NJCAA Region XX Titles (2010-2016), eight straight overall, as well as three appearances in the NJCAA National Championship game in 2010, 2011 and 2015(including 7 straight NJCAA Final Four appearances. Burke, named Region XX Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2011 and Maryland JUCO Coach of the Year 7 times while at Essex(2010-2016) produced 36 NJCAA All-Americans and 50 NJCAA All-Region XX players while at Essex.

In 2017, Burke served as the defensive coordinator at CM Wright High School in Bel Air, Md. , helping the Mustangs lead the county in goals against average at 5.54 per game, and helping to lead the Mustangs to a 13-4 record and a regional finals appearance.

"Coach Burke can help our student-athletes get to the next level because he's played there and coached there, he has a deep appreciation for the balances that are required of student-athletes. We're fortunate to be in a position to hire a coach that brings the total package," said Justin Nash (Towson High School Director of Athletics). "He's the perfect fit for what we're trying to accomplish here."

Burke currently resides in Baltimore, Md. with his wife Susan and their daughters Emma (14)and Brynn (9).