Began: Began in 2019-20 (first season of competition in 2021)
Season: 2024 will be his fourth season at Webber
Overall Record At Webber Entering 2024 Season: 31-17 overall record (3 season; .646 winning percentage)
Accolades: First Head Coach in the history of the Webber men’s lacrosse program; Three Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament appearances (2021-2023); Coached AAC Freshman of the Year during team’s inaugural season in 2021; Coached AAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2022; Coached a Second-Team All-American in 2022. Coached AAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2023; Coached AAC Freshman of the Year in 2023; Coached 2 NAIA All-Americans in 2023; Reached National Semifinal in 2023.
Chris Burdick was hired as Director of Lacrosse and Head Men's Lacrosse Coach at Webber International University at the beginning of August 2019.
As the Director of Lacrosse at Webber, Burdick is responsible for all lacrosse operations at the university, overseeing both the men's and women's programs.
During Webber's inaugural men's lacrosse season in 2021, Burdick led the Warriors to records of 3-7 overall, 3-4 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference and 3-2 in home games. The Warriors also clinched a spot in the AAC Tournament after finishing the regular season tied for fifth place in the conference standings. All three of the Warriors’ wins during their first season came at home on the Warrior Turf Field as they defeated Point University 21-6 for the first win in program history (3/1/2021), earned the first win in program history over a team receiving votes in the national coaches’ poll with a 12-9 victory over St. Andrews University, and then defeated Montreat College 16-9 to earn their third win at home in a row and clinch their bid to the postseason. In the end, Chase Jackson was named AAC Freshman of the Year.
Burdick has a long and impressive background in the sport of lacrosse, including coaching experience in Major League Lacrosse (MLL) and at the collegiate level with 14 years of NCAA Division-I head coaching experience. He has been named a conference Coach of the Year at the Division-I level, a national Assistant Coach of the Year at the Division-II level, and in 28 seasons of NCAA lacrosse, Burdick has led his teams to a total of 11 NCAA Tournaments and 21 conference (regular-season and tournament) championships. Burdick is also the Owner of 24 Lacrosse, LLC, a lacrosse player and coach development company that specializes in team workshops and coaching development.
Burdick is no stranger to developing a start-up lacrosse program, something he did beginning in the fall of 2012 as the assistant men's lacrosse coach at the University of Tampa (2013-2019; NCAA Division-II). During his time at UT, Burdick won 101 games and helped build Tampa into a nationally-ranked lacrosse program that has made the NCAA Division-II tournament six years in a row from 2014 to 2019. The Spartans also made three NCAA Division-II Final Fours (2014, 2016, 2017), won four Sunshine State Conference (SSC) Regular-Season Championships and won six straight SSC Tournament Championships during Burdick's time in Tampa, Florida.
In 2016 Burdick was honored as the Nike/IMLCA National D-II Assistant Coach of the Year.
In addition to his duties at the University of Tampa, Burdick has also worked at the professional level in the MLL since 2017, currently as an assistant coach for defense with the Chesapeake Bayhawks (Annapolis, Md.) under Head Coach Dave Cottle and Defensive Coordinator Bob Shillinglaw. Prior to working in Annapolis, Burdick was the Defensive Coordinator for two seasons under Head Coach Tom Mariano for the Florida Launch (Boca Raton, Fla.). With the Launch, Burdick helped the squad set a franchise record for wins and advance to their first playoff appearance in organization history in 2017, reaching the MLL semifinals, all while also coaching the MLL Defensive Player of the Year in Tucker Durkin and the MLL's saves leader in Austin Kaut.
Burdick also has extensive NCAA Division-I lacrosse coaching experience. Prior to coming to Tampa, Burdick led the Providence College men's lacrosse program for 14 seasons including stints in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and the Big East Conference.
In 11 seasons in the MAAC, Burdick led the Friars to nine consecutive conference playoffs, including seven conference championships and three NCAA Division-I tournament berths. Burdick coached five MAAC Defensive Player of the Year award winners, including three-time MAAC Defensive Player of the Year and Providence College Hall of Fame inductee Brian O'Rorke.
Burdick was responsible for recruiting and coaching 33 All-MAAC selections as well Providence College's first two All-Americans, Mike Farley and Ben Johnston. Providence College placed 21 players on the MAAC All-Tournament Team under Burdick's tenure, including three players named the MAAC Championship Tournament Outstanding Player. Burdick's goalies at Providence have combined for seven of the league's top 20 goalie performances of all-time regarding goals against average. Burdick's face off specialist, under the guidance of Assistant Coach Jim Mascia, have had three of the top 20 seasons in MAAC history.
Burdick's teams were 3-0 in MAAC Championship Games. In 2008, the Friars won their fourth MAAC Regular Season Championship and Burdick was named the Anaconda/MAAC Coach of the Year.
Coach Burdick has also served as the president of the MAAC Lacrosse Coaches' Association in 2003, and has been a member of the regional advisory committee for NCAA tournament selection. In 2003, Burdick was selected to coach in the Division-I Men's Lacrosse North/South All-Star game.
Prior to his position at Providence College, Burdick worked his way up the coaching ladder with positions at Cornell, UMass, Delaware and Notre Dame.
In addition, Burdick has been a feature presenter at the IMLCA and US Lacrosse coaching conventions, as well as a lecturer at high school clinics on Long Island and in Massachusetts. In 2012, the 24 Lacrosse staff staged the first interactive coaching workshop as part of the Seattle Stealth's Winter Coaching Clinic. The 24 Lacrosse, LLC "Program on the Rise" team development camp has offered high school and club team development workshops all around the nation including locations in Oregon, Washington state and Chicago.
Born in Cortland, New York, Burdick was a midfielder until his junior year of high school, when he switched to his natural position of goaltender where he was a First-Team Section III selection as a senior. Burdick was a recruited walk-on at the University of Delaware and worked his way into the starting rotation as a sophomore. As a senior, Burdick posted 237 saves for the Blue Hens, ranking him in the top 10 in single season saves.
Burdick highlighted his career with his out of the goal ability to push transition as a goalie, scoring two goals and assisting on two others. Burdick returned to Delaware after two seasons with Notre Dame to attend graduate school. Burdick graduated with a Master of Arts degree in Physical Education, Health and Recreation from the University of Delaware with a 4.0 GPA. His master's thesis was a study on the effects of internal perspective imagery on lacrosse goalie performance.
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Burdick at Webber
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| Year |
Season at WIU |
Record |
Conference Finish |
| 2021 |
1st |
3-7 |
AAC Tournament First Round
T-5th AAC |
| 2022 |
2nd |
12-6* |
AAC Tournament First Round
5th AAC |
| 2023 |
3rd |
16-4* |
*Coach's Record for Wins
AAC Tournament Semifinal
3rd AAC
NAIA Tournament Semifinal |
| Overall |
31-17 (.646 winning percentage) |
