by LARRY VAUGHT
Justin Burke was the perfect age to fully embrace the Air Raid era when Kentucky coach Hal Mumme had quarterbacks Tim Couch and Dusty Bonner helping the Wildcats have one of the nation’s most productive offenses.
Burke went on to become the 2005 Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year when he threw for a state record 62 touchdowns and 3,789 yards to lead Lexington Catholic to a 14-1 record and Class 3A state championship. His impressive prep career ended with a 34-5 record as a starter after completing 538-of-879 passes for 8,770 yards.
Now Burke has returned to Lexington as the tight ends coach for Will Stein, his former teammate at Louisville and someone he coached with at Louisville, Texas and Texas-San Antonio.
“I would have been 11 of 12 years old when Kentucky had that 1998 Outback Bowl team. I was the perfect age to love it. I was in middle school and that’s where you really idolize your heroes that you’re seeing out there on the football field,” Burke said. “The excitement when they had the Air Raid siren was unreal and there were certain songs that just kind of stuck in your mind. The game atmosphere was amazing. You might not remember all the specific plays, but you remember how you felt when you went to the stadium.”
Stein had Couch and receiver Craig Yeast, another star of the 1998 Outback Bowl team, during spring practice. He also had former All-American receiver Derek Abney talk to the team.
“Watching Derek Abney play and score on punt and kickoff returns … the stadium would get so loud,” Burke said. “You had a lot of guys from the state playing and you saw yourself in some Kentucky guys thinking it might be you one day.
“To come from Leslie County and do what Tim (Couch) did was just phenomenal. My mom’s from eastern Kentucky. You realize how big a deal football is in that area and you saw what was happening in the state after the Air Raid offense got going. It was a big deal.”
