Matt Burgess ’88 Named Interim Head Football Coach

January 25, 2017

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nlebel@bridgtonlocal.com

NORTH BRIDGTON, ME – Matt Burgess, a class of 1988 graduate and 13-year veteran of Bridgton Academy’s football coaching staff, has been named as Bridgton Academy’s Interim Head Football Coach. In the wake of Head Coach Juwan Jackson’s departure, Burgess will assume control of the team’s daily operations including recruiting, college placement and day-to-day strength and conditioning programs for the Class of 2017 squad.

“We’re extremely excited to have Matt Burgess ‘88 take the reins of the Bridgton Academy football program,” said Headmaster Grady Vigneau. “Matt has a great understanding of not only Bridgton football, but the Academy itself, as both a graduate and long-time employee. We’re confident that he will move the program forward and continue the good work of Juwan Jackson.

Burgess has been coaching at Bridgton Academy since 1999, save for a four-year stint as Head Football Coach at Gardiner High School in Gardiner, Maine, where he led the Tigers to two Eastern Class B Semifinal appearances. He carries over 20 years of coaching experience with him to this position.

Coach Burgess also brings a wealth of experience with player safety and development as a member of USA Football. A Master Trainer of Heads-Up football, USA Football’s revolutionary program for player safety, Burgess delivers seminars and presentations on safety in youth football, as well as teaching proper technique to emphasise safety over impact during tackling. His time with USA Football has led him to such far-flung locations as China, where he educated Chinese players and coaches in the burgeoning football community there.

“It is an honor to be in this position, and I am excited to take on the role of Interim Head Football Coach” said Burgess. “As both a player and a coach, Bridgton Academy has helped shape me as a person, and I am excited to have the opportunity to share that experience with our team, and to give whatever I can to the Academy. We have an outstanding crop of football talent here, and a strong foundation set by Coach Jackson, so I have no doubt we can continue to build and move onward to even greater success.”

Bridgton Academy is currently conducting a nationwide search for its new Head Football Coach, with the goal of naming a permanent coach in the early spring.

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