Men's Basketball Head Coach - Frank Burnell

A native of Jacksonville, Head Coach Frank Burnell makes his return to his hometown in 2011 with plans on returning the men’s basketball program at Edward Waters College back to prominence. Burnell brings over 25 years of coaching experience to EWC and also brings with him a championship pedigree as both a player and head coach on the prep, college, & professional levels.

Burnell comes to Edward Waters after two stints as a head coach and assistant at Daytona Beach Community College (now Daytona State College). Burnell’s first stint at DBCC was from 1993-2003 where he was the head coach of the men’s basketball program. During that time, Burnell and his teams had some of the most successful runs in the history of junior college basketball in the State of Florida, compiling a record of 213-101. Burnell lead the Falcons to four outright Mid-Florida Conference regular season championships, two Mid-Florida Conference Tournament championships, and a Florida Community College Activities Association state championship in 1999. Coach Burnell was also named Mid-Florida Conference Coach of the Year in 1999, 2001, & 2002 and was also named Florida Junior College Coach of the Year District VIII in 1999. For his achievements as the head coach at DBCC, Burnell was inducted into the Florida Community College Activities Association Coaches Hall of Fame in 2005. After leaving the program in 2003, Burnell returned to DBCC in 2009 as an assistant coach under current Falcons head coach Anthony Andre.

In 2003, Burnell took his coaching talents to the NCAA Division I ranks as he signed on to be an assistant coach at the University of South Florida in Tampa under then head coach Robert McCullum. During his four year period in Tampa, Burnell played an instrumental part in the rebuilding of a program that was transitioning from Conference USA to the Big East Conference. Burnell assisted with the Bulls’ front line players, supervised the team’s scheduling & academics, and helped with the teams’ scouting responsibilities.  

In 1986, Burnell began his coaching career at his Alma Mater, Stetson University in Deland where he coached under legendary head coach Glenn Wilkes. Burnell spent seven years as an assistant at Stetson and it was there that he got his opportunity to grow as a coach on the collegiate level.

Burnell earned a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree from Stetson in 1985 after a sterling career on the basketball floor for the Hatters. Burnell was a four-year letterman, the captain of his team during his senior season, and was named the team’s Most Valuable Player during his Junior & Senior seasons. Burnell is still in the Hatters’ record books, scoring 1,491 points (14.1 points per game average) over his four year career, a mark which currently ranks seventh on Stetson’s all-time scoring list. He also scored 556 points (19.9 ppg) in his senior season which also ranks seventh on the all-time single-season list.

Following his playing career at Stetson, Burnell entered the ranks of professional basketball, playing for two years (1983-84 & 1984-85) for the Puerto Rico Coquis of the Continental Basketball Association.

Locally, Burnell is most known for his prowess on the basketball floor as a player at Jean Ribault High School from 1976-1979 under Florida High School Athletic Association Hall of Famer, the late Bernard Wilkes. Burnell attributes the success that he had on the floor as a player and on the bench as a coach to Coach Wilkes.

Burnell is married to his wife, Teri and have two children, Kevin and Jason.

Contact:
Office: (904)470-8399
Email: Frank.burnell@ewc.edu