Longtime Burgess High School volleyball coach Connie Vaughn has retired after 39 years with the school.
Prior to taking on the head coaching role, Vaughn served as an assistant coach at Burgess for four years.
Vaughn has amassed 786 wins at Burgess, including a 29-1 record in 1989 and an undefeated District 1-5A record in 2021.
“In 1989 we lost 15-13 in the third set of the district tournament to Amarillo Tascosa and Tascosa went on to win the state championship that year. That was one of my favorite moments at Burgess,” Vaughn said. “But there were also a lot of great times and a lot of great kids and teams that I had the pleasure of coaching. It was a tough decision to retire, but the time has come.”
Vaughn was a multi-sport star at Roswell High School in New Mexico, eventually earning the opportunity to play collegiate softball at Texas Tech University.
“Coaching means a lot to me,” Vaughn said. “It's great for a coach to see players develop throughout their playing career and then succeed in life.”
Former players react to retirement
Former Burgess player Olivia Zubia: “Coach Vaughn is one of the best coaches I have ever had the privilege of playing for her during my time at Burgess High School. She helped me grow not only in the game of volleyball, but as a person, student and teammate. With a lot of love and pride.”
Kristin “Chris” Seelig, Class of 1988: “Connie was my first high school coach and we learned from each other. In my first year coaching under Jane McCutcheon, she showed the tenacity to become the next Burgess coach. She was tough and yelled a lot, but overall she taught many of us the lesson of hard work and getting results. Her first year, we went 14-0 and won the district championship. We started it all and she continued to be active for many years. I've followed her ever since she left in 1988 and she was an outstanding athlete. “You have coached some amazing athletes, including Luma Fuentes, Roberta Silva Hack, Cindy Silva, Nancy Wu Nave, Jenny Grant Tucker, Christina Crank Malenco, Babette Cervantes, Nikki Noe, Veronica Garcia, Leah Richmond Rodriguez, Kristen Johnson Molina, Megan Cereceres, Savannah Malenco, and many others. I wish her a wonderful retirement. And thank you Coach IOB Baby for who you are and what you have brought to Burgess.”
Deborah Quintana Castile, Class of 1990: “I was honored to be on her first Varsity V\volleyball team at Burgess in 1989. My husband was in the first health class she taught when she started teaching in 1985. My nieces were on her volleyball team at Burgess. She continues to be an important person in my life. Connie is a constant reminder of all the good things in life. Whenever there are life events like graduations, weddings, births, deaths, she has been there for me and my family. She is family. I will miss being able to go play at school, but I know I can always reach her by text message. El Paso volleyball will never be the same.”
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Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com or @Fchavezeptimes on X.
