By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
What does it take to maintain a youth football program? According to Ronald Burroughs, President of the Benson Bruins Youth Football and Cheer Program, it takes a mindset and a philosophy that you cannot stray from, ultimately leading to success.
“When I decided to step up and put my name in the hat as it relates to becoming president, I wanted to see the organization become what I thought it could be,” says Burroughs. “Which is one that not only develops young men and young ladies, but that stood for something from a cultural perspective that was all about what I call D.A.T.E. Discipline, Attitude, Teamwork, and Effort.”
Originally from Connecticut and a graduate of Morehouse College, Burroughs’ professional journey landed him in the tech hub of Seattle, working for companies like Boeing and Microsoft. Like many youth coaches, Burroughs’ interest in becoming a coach stemmed from his son’s interest in the sport, his personal love of the game, a stint playing semi-professional football, and the need for coaches.
“Football has always been my favorite game throughout my life,” says Burroughs. “I have always had a love for the game and, most importantly, the lessons about life that the game of football teaches you.”
“[Football] has always been something that has stuck with me from my childhood, and something I want to impress upon both my children as they came up and began playing and the players I have coached,” added Burroughs.
Except for a few exceptions, most football programs are nonprofit organizations. Presidents of programs work to raise money for their programs through donations and sponsorships, as they try to give young athletes and cheer squads, which are athletes as well, the best possible sport and mentorship experience possible.
Burroughs began his career coaching the 6U and 8U teams as an assistant coach. Moving up in the ranks, he later became a head coach, athletic director, and vice president. In 2015, Burroughs was elected President of the Benson Bruins and has been president ever since. In 2019, all of the Bruins’ teams went to the playoffs and every team won their respective championships.
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Being at the helm of a youth program possesses its own positive outcome as well as its challenges. Maintaining financial accountability is probably at the top of the list for most presidents.
“When I became a head coach that year as a program Benson was doing ok but not at its best,” Burroughs recalls. “Benson just recovered from a lot of issues that were happening with the program, and it was kind of in a rebuilding stage.”
According to Burroughs, his relationship with Kevin Kinsey, the past president of the Benson Bruins, has always been key in helping him understand the broader organization and how things should work.
Development of youth, coaches, and the overall program is what Burroughs strives to achieve with his program. Using his acronym D.A.T.E., Burroughs exercises his mentorship in instilling and developing young boys and girls through this philosophy.
“Discipline, attitude, teamwork, and effort,” Burroughs reiterates. “Those were always the key, and literally if you ask any of the players that come through Benson what D.A.T.E. stands for, they will tell you discipline, attitude, teamwork, and effort. It is really all about helping the kids become better at life through the game of football.”
Burroughs’ strategy of instilling positive attitudes, along with the lifelong pursuit of personal growth and development, stems from the notion of accountability and knowing your assignment. Doing your assignment, the way you are supposed to do it, every day on every play. Attitude is teaching them that their attitude determines their altitude. Teamwork encompasses the idea that “we are better together.”
“The program has always been like a ministry to me,” says Burroughs. “So, I say, ‘as a man thinketh, so is he, and I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.’ So, I don’t care who the opponent is, I don’t care how big they are, how fast they are, if I give my best, I have an opportunity, and that’s the attitude we try to impress upon our children.”
