New Burnet AD shares game plan
Burnet Consolidated Independent School District Athletic Director Steve Hall explained his vision for the new school year at a Burnet Chamber of Commerce Coffee and Conversation breakfast meeting on Aug. 20. Staff photo by Elizabeth De Los Santos
Newly hired Burnet Consolidated Independent School District Athletic Director Steve Hale shared his vision for the 2024-25 academic year with Burnet Chamber of Commerce members at their monthly Coffee and Conversation breakfast meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 20.
Hale stressed his commitment to consistency and character development across all sports programs with a focus on holding both coaches and students to the same high standards and centering the program around the well-being and growth of the kids.
“I lead by example,” Hale said. “So whatever expectations that I have for coaches, it’s the same for kids. The No. 1 goal is to prepare kids for life, to be productive citizens … and to reach the potential that God gave them as a human with character. Our whole program is based on character.”
Hale was officially hired at the BCISD Board of Trustees meeting on March 25, taking over for longtime AD Kurt Jones. He will also be the district’s director of school safety. His experience includes 31 years in education, including 27 years as a head coach. Before coming to Burnet, he was the AD at Hillsboro ISD.
Throughout his career, Hale has coached over 60 Division I athletes, four NFL players, one Super Bowl champion, three national college football champions, and one NBA player. His plans for a successful staff boiled down to four main points:
- be passionate;
- be professional;
- pursue greatness;
- and be a proven winner.
“Coming in here, I told our coaches, ‘We’re going to be the standard, not just meet the standard—be the standard,’” Hale said.
He highlighted the importance of addressing obstacles when creating a culture of excellence.
“Social media is a distractor … and vaping is an epidemic,” Hale said. “I want parents to understand that we gotta stand beside our kids, but if they make a major mistake, there’s gotta be a consequence to tackle. And that’s life, and that’s how we handle adversity.”
Hale plans to increase participation in girls’ sports as he balances his AD responsibilities with duties as director of school safety.
“It’s about supporting student development both on and off the field,” he said.
Despite the challenges, Hale is excited about his new roles and looks forward to building relationships with the students.
“The best part about this job is getting to know the kids,” he said. “I love kids, and I take pride in calling myself a Christian coach.”