WALKING AWAY
Clarence’s Paul Burgio retires after 33 years and three Section VI titles
Paul Burgio coached football the same way he taught in the classroom. Commitment to each
other and camaraderie were two of the pillars that helped him move up the Clarence coaching ranks.
Burgio already saw retirement from teaching on the horizon, with, in his estimation, only two
more years left teaching physical education at Clarence Middle School. But walking away from the sidelines wasn’t a consideration for Burgio until 15 months ago.
The Red Devils wasted little time after winning the Section VI Class A championship over
Lockport and a program-best 11 games two years ago. The season-ending loss against Section V’s East/World of Inquiry in the Class A Far West Regional fueled Clarence to get back to work, with 27 seniors set to return.
But Burgio saw coaching left him physically and mentally drained, along with a death in the
family leading him to give up the headset after 33 seasons coaching high school football.
His father, Sam, a pancreatic cancer survivor, died on Sept. 24 at age 81, and supported Clarence by standing at the gate near its sidelines.
“After that happened, I kind of just felt, in my mind, it’s probably time to commit to family while I still can,” Burgio said. “And that was basically my decision. I loved every moment of it with the kids and it was really hard to tell them that I had made that decision. But, after so long, it’s time for a change in my life and for the program.”
Burgio waited to tell his players of his decision to retire until after Clarence finished its season.
Following his father’s death, Burgio and the Red Devils won five of their last seven contests and lost to Sweet Home in the section’s Class A semifinal for a 7-3 record.
The memories of coaching at Clarence came flooding back to Burgio. Three sectional
championships, with the first two as an assistant in 1998 and 2010 under Tom Goddard, a regular season 27-26 overtime win against Lancaster as head coach in 2019 and the Far West Regional run two years ago were part of Burgio’s journey.
But as he heads into his new chapter, it’ll be the moments Burgio shared not displayed on the scoreboard that he’ll miss more. Being around football has been part of Burgio’s life, since he played at West Seneca East through his senior year in 1985 under head coach Chuck Amo, who died at age 72 in May 2022 due to lung disease.
“I will miss the time in the locker room with my staff,” Burgio said. “I worked with some of the greatest guys you could ever ask for. Being with the guys in the locker room, building that camaraderie in the offseason. And I’ll miss the lights. There’s nothing better than Friday Night Lights. It’s special when you take that walk from our locker room the game field and see those lights. That I will miss the most.”
The impact Burgio made went beyond the football field and through the school’s athletic
department. During the season, Burgio held “Red Devils Monday” during practice.
At the practice, a coach from the varsity, JV or modified teams would share what being a Red Devil meant to them and the importance of being a team. With a roster of 40 to 50 kids each season, Burgio held the responsibility of holding onto the unified goal, along with lending a hand for players who were struggling off the field.
“Paul is honestly one of the most amazing people I know,” Clarence athletic director Jason
Lehmbeck said. “He’s truly what I call a transformational coach, as opposed to a transactional coach. He is the epitome of what we want to see in our coaches. … His goal is to win but his purpose is to change lives, to help kids become adults and treating people with respect and dignity while being a competitor and teaching a lot of life lessons through football.”
Along with developing young men, Burgio helped developed quality players for Clarence and finished with a 50-25 record in eight varsity seasons. On offense, Burgio’s Red Devils totaled over 200 points five times, averaging 224.8 points per season.
And defensively, Clarence held its opponents to under 14 points in a game 31 times. This
included six times during the Red Devils’ run to the Class A Far West Regional two years ago, which ended against Section V’s East/World of Inquiry.
When the players arrived on varsity, many knew who Burgio was as a teacher and by seeing him during offseason workouts in the school’s weight room. Having that familiarity helped Burgio make a connection with his players at a faster pace.
“He was a coach to me, but he was also a partner,” Clarence senior quarterback and John Carroll commit Bryce Tubin said. “We always went over the game plan together. He always trusted me. I trusted him. It was just an amazing relationship and that’s what I want in a coach at the college level. …He was a great coach.”
Clarence is expected to announce its new head coach, pending approval, at its Board of
Education meeting Thursday.
Pic Gallery by WNYAthletics Staff
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