MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Whitehaven High School's running back room is getting a run for their money from their new position coach.
"Coach Burse is pushing me every day," senior Jordan Lee said. "If coach Burse tells me I have to run 10 miles, that means I have to run 20."
So who is Coach Burse?
Her name is Britney. She is 5'1" tall, but can put her running backs on their heels. She is also the first female coach on staff in the history of Whitehaven football.
"We're just excited for the things that she brings," head coach Rodney Saulsberry said. "She's tough on those guys, and she tries to break them, and that's good."
A 2006 Whitehaven grad, Burse forged a career in personal training, using the school's track and sand pit while the football team practiced.
This winter, offensive coordinator LeRoy Banks approached Saulsberry about bringing her on staff.
"And I was all for it," Saulsberry said.
"He gave me a call and was like, 'Are you ready to make history?' And I was like 'What are you talking about?' He was like, 'I want you to come be my running back coach.'" Burse said, beaming with pride while recalling that conversation. "I didn't feel like I was capable of doing the job. It was rough, I was scared, but I was always ready to accept the challenge."
There was skepticism from some of the players at first.
"When I first seen her, I was like, 'Wait, hold on,'" Lee said with a laugh.
But it didn't take long for Britney to ingrain herself. Lee tore his ACL at the start of last year. COVID-19 canceled his sophomore season. Despite college interest, he began to think about giving up on football.
"I was going through a lot of things," Lee said. "I went into a depression when I couldn't get out of that state."
"I felt like it was my responsibility to pull him out of that state," Burse said. "I told him, 'Hey man, we're not going to fall like that. We're going to get up and hit the ground running. It's not over for you.'"
"Just being able to talk to somebody. For therapy or just to talk. Coach Burse was the one that was there for me," Lee said. "Coach Burse helped me put that love for football back in my heart again."
It was also reassurance for Britney, that she is right where she belongs.
"That was when I knew that the kids had accepted me," she said.
"I don't think that most women understand that this is an opportunity. With football being a male-dominated sport, what we have to understand is anything a man can do, we can do it too."
"You are your only limit. There is no limit to success if you put your mind to it, you can do it. Don't allow the job be the limit or the determination if you can do it. You have to be that for yourself. So I understand that the only limit is me."