ISU’s Burnham relishes shutouts, memorabilia

AMES - Wally Burnham has quite the collection of memorabilia throughout his years of coaching on a shelf in his home.

During his tenure as defensive coordinator at Florida State, every time his teams recorded shutouts, the Seminoles baseball coach would give him a baseball with a spike driven through the center.

'It's like a spike through the heart,” Burnham said.

In his seven-year tenure as Iowa State defensive coordinator, the Cyclones have recorded three shutouts, the latest coming last week against Texas. After all three games, Iowa State Coach Paul Rhoads has given the game ball to Burnham and each time, the prizes go up on that shelf in Burnham's home.

'They go in a special place because it is special,” Burnham said. 'I don't care how old you are. It's still a young man's game at heart.”

Shutouts against Northern Iowa in 2010 and Kansas in 2013 were significant, but something struck Burnham about last week's shutout against Texas that he hadn't felt in any of the others. Monday night, he sat and watched the television broadcast of the game - the first time he's ever re-watched a game at Iowa State while not analyzing film.

Reviewing games usually happens with the sound muted and lots of chatter between players and coaches in the Bergstrom Football Complex meeting rooms. In the comfort of his home, with his wife also watching, Burnham soaked in the emotion of the Cyclones' stifling defensive performance.

'He's a great mind,” said defensive end J.D. Waggoner. 'I think every call he made made sense and he's an aggressive play caller. He wants us to go make plays at the line of scrimmage.”

Burnham might be nearing his mid-70s, but it's hard to see any disconnect in the relationship he has with his 18- to 22-year old players. Rhoads has tried to instill a culture of coaches building a real relationship with the players outside of X's and O's.

Since he arrived on the ISU staff in 2009, Burnham hasn't been taught how to reach his players on a personal level. It comes through his personality genuinely.

'That's who he is, that's how he was raised growing up in this business,” Rhoads said. 'Because of that, the kids know he cares about them and the kids know he's got a personal relationship with them and we've always found it's easier to coach and coach hard when you have that kind of relationship.”

WAGGONER ENERGY SHINING THROUGH

J.D. Waggoner has developed a reputation as an impressionist during his time with Iowa State football.

Each day on the practice field while he's going through his drills, he's studying and picking up on the speech habits and mannerisms of his coaches and delights his teammates with his jokes afterward in the locker room.

Waggoner has honed in on his Rhoads, Stan Eggen and Burnham impressions, but isn't willing to share them without prodding.

'I just kind of pick up on things they say,” Waggoner said. 'We're around them every day. I like my coaches so it's all out of good fun, but it's fun to mess with them sometimes.”

In the middle of picking up on new material for impressions, Waggoner also has built football intelligence and was elevated to the top of the depth chart at defensive end Monday. He has 11 tackles this season after spending 2014 on the scout team and was dubbed by Burnham as the craziest guy on the team behind linebacker Levi Peters.

'He's always going on with something and jumping around,” Burnham said. 'He's got tons of energy and practices that way. He's learned.”

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