
Coach Burgardt swam for the Great Bend High School swim team. He graduated from Emporia State University with a Bachelor's in Secondary Education with emphasis in Physics and Earth Science. He has been teaching at Salina High School Central since 2013. He has been the head coach for the Salina Central and South teams since 2013 as well.
Coach Burgardt believes that, due to his position as a teacher and coach, he has the opportunity to influence the youth of Salina in a positive way. He strives to instill character traits that will help students and athletes be positive, productive, and compassionate members of society. He believes that, by participating in team sports, an individual can become part of something bigger. This naturally causes responsibility and duty to increase communication and cooperation skills as well as the compassion to realize what another might be going through in order to accomplish their goals.