New Galt High Athletic Director Jason Burgen supervising an away game at Natomas High School. Photo by Paige Lampson

GALT, CA (MPG) - When the 2026–27 school year opened, Galt High School welcomed a new athletic director who was anything but a stranger. Jason Burgin, a social science and U.S. history teacher on campus since the 2018–19 school year, spent one season as the Warriors' varsity head football coach and then stepped into the role over the summer. The promotion is less a departure than a widening of a job he had already been doing in pieces for years.

Burgin's path to the office runs through the field and the mat. A graduate of Newark Memorial High School in the Bay Area, he competed in football, wrestling, and track, and he continued his wrestling career at the junior college level until a bulging disk ended it. He spent about 20 years working in the Newark area before relocating to the Sacramento region and joining Galt High, where he served as head JV football coach and varsity offensive line coach through the COVID years. He has been a volunteer assistant wrestling coach and volunteer track and field throwing coach. In March 2023, he was named varsity head football coach, replacing Merv Brookins.

That résumé is precisely why he said yes to the athletic director position — and why he paused before he did. "Athletics have always been near to my heart due to the many profound lessons that occur," Burgin said. "I wouldn't have become an educator and a coach without the exceptional guidance of a few amazing coaches along my journey, so to me accepting the position of Athletic Director allows me to support those who mentor and support our student-athletes as well as help build flourishing programs to benefit the maximum amount of students as possible." His only hesitation was personal: before accepting, he needed to talk with his wife, fully aware of the physical, emotional, and logistical commitments the job would demand.

A Day That Begins at 5:30 a.m. and Ends at 10:30 p.m.

Ask Burgin to describe a typical day and the answer is a reminder that high school athletics is an endurance sport for the adults, too. His mornings start early in what he calls the Warrior athletic program, with weight training beginning at 6 a.m. He arrives around 5:30 a.m. to make sure the facilities are ready, using that hour to mentor student-athletes with lifting programs, technique feedback and preventative care.

"Because to me, success on the field is truly built in the weight room," he said.

From there, he processes athletic highlights and sends them to activities for the daily announcements, making sure student accomplishments are recognized before 7 a.m. so activities director Mrs. Ehnat has time to include them. By 8 a.m. he holds a quick digital debrief with the front office staff — "the true backbone," he calls them — and checks in with assistant athletic director Mikka Alvarez to confirm that acknowledgments and the day's game plan are ready, all before he heads off to teach AP Government and World History.

On a game night, the logistics multiply. Before class, Burgin touches base with officials about parking and hospitality, confirms with the physical education department where officials and opposing teams will be housed, and reaches out to the visiting team to ensure it has received the visiting-school letter and has its questions answered. "Hosting other programs is essential in our character development," he said.

By lunch he is readying payment kiosks for ticket takers and taking inventory of athletic training equipment, and in third period he meets with his student assistant athletic director team to walk through the evening's checklist.

The afternoon brings teacher meetings — 504 and IEP sessions, vendor check-ins — and verifying the Hudl live-stream pay-per-view is set up. Before the school day ends, he is out at the stadium confirming the field and press box are ready, with rosters printed, the anthem queued, and the officials' hospitality area stocked. As spectators arrive, he moves between the ticket area, the officials, and the visiting teams, then works the sidelines, bleachers, snack bar, entry gate, and press box through the night. During the JV game he helps set up the staff tailgate, and before varsity he stages the breakthrough banner. As the game winds down, the checklist reverses: shutting down systems, breaking down hospitality and the tailgate, coordinating the departure of officials and the visiting team, and monitoring the parking lot. Only then does he lock up and head home — around 10:30 p.m.

The Workload Nobody Sees

What the stands never see, Burgin said, is the volume of behind-the-scenes labor that makes a season run: coaching recruitment and hiring, constant monitoring of athlete eligibility and documentation, and managing the department's social media. It also means updating the Hudl pay-per-view and live stream using professional-grade production software, meeting with the Warrior Athlete Advisory Council to build a cohesive culture across programs and checking in with teachers and staff to keep students on track academically and behaviorally. Add requisitions for equipment and planning with Boosters for community outreach, and the job looks far less like a whistle and clipboard and far more like a small business.

Clearances are a case in point. With help from Alvarez and Mrs. Beck, Burgin has processed more than 250 clearances, "and we add more every day." Every student-athlete must be fully cleared before participating in out-of-season conditioning or skill development, and coaches have been instructed that any athlete without paperwork must handle it before taking part in team activities. When several home contests land on the same night, Burgin leans on weekly administrative meetings to plan ahead, then commandeers the golf cart and rotates between venues, observing and helping wherever he can.

Measuring Success Beyond the Scoreboard

Burgin is candid that the win-loss column is not how he defines a good year.

"As a character-driven program, we measure success by athletes remaining eligible, working toward zero ejections, community involvement, and player retention," he said.

A recent temperature check with the athlete advisory council found students enthusiastic about the department's direction, while still valuing the systems built by former athletic director Mr. van den Raadt.

That philosophy extends to which programs he believes need attention. Burgin points to the coed tennis program and girls’ golf as areas deserving focused support, noting he has been working with Coach Martin on strategic vision and that interviews are scheduled for tennis. His commitment to girls wrestling is well established: during his time on the wrestling staff, Galt produced its first girls state qualifier, Valentina Ortega, and he has pushed to move the program beyond reliance on volunteers toward a more established coaching staff.

He is equally clear about what he expects from the coaches he hires.

"Our coaches have to be concerned about each student-athlete as an entire person," he said. "Game plan and strategy are not enough to be an effective coach in our program. One must consider mental health and well-being, physiological development, fundamental skill development, self-branding and community involvement."

The goal, he said, is to create "student-athletes of character who become highly skilled adults with integrity that will impact our community for generations to come."

Balancing a full teaching load with the demands of the office comes down to preparation.

"Those who fail to prepare, prepare to fail," Burgin said, crediting years of teaching the same courses and a background in wrestling and construction for his ability to rise early and plan weeks or months ahead.

At home, he credits his wife, who reminded him that this role had been his dream since he became a coach. The two support each other's endeavors — her’s include nonprofits and a busy travel schedule — and they keep agreed-upon household responsibilities, with Burgin often using weekends to stay ahead so the couple can enjoy their time together during the week.

"Regardless of how busy one may become, they should never take advantage of the kindness and support of their partner," he said.

When he gets tired or grumpy, Burgin said he draws on his family's construction background, his own athletic pursuits, and the resilience of the Wintu and Yana people.

"I have to remind myself that it's not about me, but about the kids and community that I love dearly," he said, "and that having this opportunity to serve them from this capacity lets me pay forward the blessings that I once received as a student-athlete."

A year from now, he hopes the community will see that Galt's student-athletes are thriving through recognition, development, and mentorship. For a program that has long measured itself by more than its record, that may be the truest scoreboard of all.