Kevin Burke Legacy Award 15U Eagles 2023
THE LEGACY OF KEVIN BURKE
Kevin Burke was a gentleman who dedicated his life to this community. He would donate his time and money to ensure students -- who otherwise could not play the sport in Georgetown -- had the equipment and money needed to join the leagues.
In 1980, Kevin, the founder and first coach for the Georgetown Eagles (now Halton Hills Minor Baseball Eagles) took it upon himself to build a strong, local team that could compete at league levels. Georgetown did not have a team at the time. He worked with 8 to 15, 19-year-old players, and dedicated his efforts to develop and support a hardball team that would qualify for entry into competitive.
Unfortunately, COACH KEVIN passed away in January, 2023 at the age of 82. As a coach, Kevin Burke was proud of his players that were dedicated, hardworking, humble, good listeners and respectful. He did not like boasting. The recipient of the Kevin Burke Legacy Award would not have to be the best player on the team in terms of stats, but they would be at every practice, working hard, showing improvement, supporting their team, and respecting their coach.
JACK ROWE
Jack is very hard working and spent the offseason hitting off a tee, weight training and focusing on improving his pitching. He was able to transform himself into a high batting average batter and was respected as having one of the most feared fastballs in his loop.
In addition to being a very hard worker, he is very respectful and a model player to coach, and since I met him 4 years ago he has always believed in his coaches and been a model of respect.
What differentiates Jack is the composure he showed after suffering a season ending injury in early August. When he rejoined teammates in the dugout wearing his "cast" at our next game he was all smiles and good cheer, and he easily supported teammates and took on some administrative work in the dugout.
Unable to participate in the team's playoff run, it was hard not to see the pain on his face. Jack knew he had been a major contributor to the team and that this playoff run could be a once in a lifetime event that he would watch from the side. During this playoff run, Jack found the ability to stay humble, to remain composed, and to make the event about others and not himself by cheering on his teammates' successes. While I don't think any of that was easy, I believe it revealed profound strength of Jack's character.
