Eastern head football coach Bob Spoo said he could sum up Eastern’s new athletic director Barbara Burke succinctly.

She is a star.

Spoo, who was also a member of the athletic director search committee, said he conducted a phone interview with Wyoming athletic director Tom Burman – one of Burke’s references – and Burman said Burke was a star.

Spoo said Burke was a wonderful lady of the highest integrity who could advance the Eastern athletic programs.

“In every way she was head-and-shoulders above the other candidates,” Spoo said. “She’s had to deal with every aspect of the role she’s about to play. She’s just a very capable person and an outstanding administrator. I think the future is very bright now that Barbara Burke is now our athletic director.”

Burke played both softball and basketball at Western Michigan for four years and led the Broncos to the Women’s College Softball World Series in 1980, her senior season. She was inducted into the Western Michigan Hall of Fame in 1988.

Burke also coached at Tennessee Temple, Clearwater Christian College (Fla.), Cornerstone College (Mich.), Indiana Southeast and West Virginia State.

Experience as both a player and a coach has molded Burke into an athletic director who wants to win.

“I’m a horrible loser,” Burke said. “You can ask my coaches (at Wyoming) about that right now. It’s part of what we do and I deal with it, but I work very hard to help (coaches) achieve at whatever level they want.”

Spoo said Burke’s experience as a former college athlete and coach would help connect her to the student-athletes and coaches at Eastern.

“She knows exactly what our stresses are, where we need help, what we’re looking forward to, what our expectations are,” Spoo said. “She’s been through all of that, so that’s a valuable asset to have.”

Eastern interim athletic director Ken Baker said Burke, as a former player, understands what student-athletes go through.

“If you don’t have empathy or concern for the student-athlete then you don’t belong in athletics,” Baker said. “She’s played, she’s coached, she’s got a great administrative career at a number of different programs. We’re very fortunate to have her.”

Burke said one of the things she looks forward to the most as athletic director is continuing to have interaction with student-athletes.

“That motivates me,” Burke said. “I seek that out. I go to practices. I hope as an athletic director I don’t lose that contact with the student-athlete.”

Eastern women’s basketball coach Brady Sallee said he also liked the fact Burke is a former coach. He said that sentiment is shared by other Eastern coaches.

“She just gets it,” Sallee said. “She knows the lows. She knows the highs. She knows the day-to-day things you deal with. I think in those instances, those who have that kind of a background, they can go a long way to take the stresses off of you that they themselves take care of, and allow you to do your job – and that is coach.”

Being able to just coach, is something Eastern head baseball coach Jim Schmitz said he is glad he heard Burke wants her coaches to do.

“We all wear way too many hats around here,” Schmitz said. “I want to coach. I want to watch videos. I want to have early hitting. I don’t want to be doing 10 fundraisers and all the other stuff.”

Eastern assistant head football coach and defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni said Burke was the best candidate regardless of gender, and the football coaching staff is looking forward to Burke getting to work.

“She knows what coaches go through,” Bellantoni said. “Not all administrators do. She’ll be sympathetic towards our needs and try to give us what we need to be successful.”

-Associate Sports Editor Kevin Murphy contributed to this story.

Scott Richey can be reached at 581-7944 or at [email protected].