WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. — On Thursday, Airport High School held a signing day ceremony where 10 Eagle athletes signed national letters of intent.
It marked the final signing day ceremony for the 2021-2022 academic year and in the career of Kirk Burnett.
For the past 18 seasons, Burnett has served as the head football coach and athletics director at his alma mater. But earlier this year, Burnett announced he would be stepping down from both roles.
His coaching career ended in the fall when the Eagles lost in the first round of the state playoffs. But his role as athletics director has continued as through the winter and now the spring. On Thursday, Burnett was in his usual role of making sure the ceremony stayed on schedule while giving the athletes and their families plenty of opportunities for pictures to commemorate and chronicle the important day.
As much as he loves athletics, Burnett has been thinking about scaling back his day-to-day activities for some time. He said this May has been the first time he has not been involved in spring football which has been an interesting and enjoyable change of pace.
A product of the Airport community, Burnett made his mark in Airport athletics as a player and a coach. He also made it a point to make sure the coaches in the other sports had plenty of support, figuring it was his job to help all sports reach their potential and not just worry about the flagship sport of football. Burnett says being a product of the Springdale community and an Airport graduate made him keenly aware of the importance of having a strong athletic program across the board.