Burton Burns Position: Associate Head Coach/Running Backs Experience: Fifth Year Alma Mater: Nebraska, 1976

Burton Burns is in his fifth year with the Crimson Tide football program as associate head coach and running backs coach. The New Orleans native is regarded as one of the best coaches in college football and was named the Football Scoop Running Backs Coach of the Year following the 2008 season.

Few in college football can say they have coached a Heisman Trophy finalist; however Burns can claim a pair in the past three seasons, including the 2009 recipient Mark Ingram and 2011 finalist Trent Richardson.

Under Burns, the 2011 Crimson Tide rushing offense ranks 15th in the nation, and first in the Southeastern Conference, collecting 219.8 yards per game. In addition to being a Heisman finalist, Richardson won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back and was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year, ranking fifth in the nation and first in the league with 131.9 yards on the ground per outing. He has collected 20 rushing touchdowns this season, setting the school record, and tying him for second in SEC history. Joining Richardson in the Alabama backfield is Eddie Lacy, who comes in at No. 11 in the SEC with 57.4 rushing yards per game and seven total touchdowns.

In 2010, Alabama's ground game accumulated 2,378 yards rushing to rank 29th in the country. Playing in just 11 games each, Ingram led the way with 875 yards and 13 scores followed by Richardson's 700 yards with six touchdowns. With two scores against Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl, Ingram set the Alabama career rushing touchdown record at 42. He finished his career fourth on the career rushing yardage list with 3,261 yards in three seasons. Both Ingram and Richardson were explosive in the passing game as well. Richardson was fourth on the team with 266 yards on 23 catches (4 TDs), while Ingram has added 21 catches for 282 yards and a touchdown.

Under Burns' guidance in 2009, Ingram was awarded Alabama's first Heisman Trophy and earned unanimous All-America honors. Ingram set the school's single-season rushing record with 1,658 yards and 17 touchdowns while adding 32 receptions for 334 yards and three more scores. Richardson, a true freshman, was the team's second-leading rusher (642 yards, 6 TD) and was named a Freshman All-SEC selection. The Tide also got some valuable production in 2009, especially on third downs, from senior Roy Upchurch. Upchurch earned an invite to the prestigious Senior Bowl at the conclusion of the season. In the BCS National Championship Game against Texas, Ingram and Richardson both rushed for 100-plus yards to help lead Alabama to the school's 13th title.

Burns also developed one of the nation's strongest running games in 2008 as Alabama finished third in the SEC and 30th nationally with an average of 184.6 rushing yards per game. Glen Coffee, a first-team All-SEC selection and third round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers, led the way with 1,383 yards on the ground. That single-season total then tied for second in school history and was third in the conference. In addition, Ingram was eighth in the SEC in rushing (728 yards), captured Freshman All-SEC honors and set a Tide rookie record with 12 rushing touchdowns.

In his first year at Alabama, Burns helped first-year tailback Terry Grant set school records for rushing yards (891) and touchdowns (8) by a freshman in a season. Grant was a three-time SEC Freshman of the Week honoree, and was named to the SEC All-Freshman team as well as The Sporting News Freshman All-American team (honorable mention).

An assistant coach at Clemson University for eight seasons before coming to Alabama, Burns was a major factor in producing six of the top 10 offenses in Clemson history as running backs coach for the Tigers. Burns tutored star runners such as 2005 ACC Rookie of the Year James Davis, 2006 freshman record-setter C.J. Spiller, Reggie Merriweather, Travis Zachery and Duane Coleman at Clemson and former New York Jet Jerald Sowell at Tulane. In 2006, Davis led the Tigers with 1,187 rushing yards on 203 carries and scored 17 touchdowns, while Spiller had 938 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. The Tigers averaged 5.7 yards per carry during the '06 regular season.

Burns spent eight seasons with head coach Tommy Bowden at Clemson after a four-year stint at Tulane that concluded with a 12-0 season in 1998.

Over 14 seasons as a college assistant coach, Burns has regularly produced versatile running backs that have been effective in every phase of the game. His players have proven to be equally effective as pass catchers, as well as in the running game.

Burns, 58, spent nine seasons as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at Saint Augustine High School in New Orleans, La., before joining Bowden's staff at Tulane. Burns helped lead Saint Augustine to district titles in 1987, 1992 and 1993, his second stint at the school. Burns' first experience as a coach also was at Saint Augustine, where he served as an assistant from 1977-79 and helped the school win three more district championships on the way to consecutive state titles in 1978-79. Burns also coached at New Orleans' Booker T. Washington High School in 1980 before a five-year stint as an assistant coach at Southern University in Baton Rouge from 1981-85.

As a player, Burns played fullback (1971-75) at the University of Nebraska under head coach Tom Osborne. A member of three Cornhusker teams that won at least nine games, Burns participated in the Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl and Sugar Bowl as a player. He earned a bachelor's degree in education from Nebraska in 1976. Burns is married to the former Connie Winder. The couple has three daughters, Amber, Christy and Erin, and a son, Damon.