Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

SDSU's Coach Burns refused to remain silent

Fired soon after a 27-win season

On August 26, Beth Burns — San Diego State University's longtime women's basketball head coach who is suing the university for wrongful termination — will get her day in a different type of court than she is used to: San Diego Superior Court.

A judge will begin the civil trial in Burn's 2014 lawsuit against San Diego State University. In her complaint, Burns, who coached the women's basketball team for 16 seasons and is the winningest coach in San Diego State history, claimed the university forced her resignation less than a year after leading the Aztecs to a school-record 27-win season.

Burns claimed the university fired her in retaliation for her insistent demands that the women's program be given the same treatment as the men's basketball program.

Sponsored
Sponsored

In her complaint, Burns says soon-to-be former athletic director Jim Sterk (who on August 16 accepted a job at the University of Missouri) gave Burns an ultimatum: quit, retire, or be terminated. According to Burns's complaint, Sterk alleged Burns slapped assistant head coach Adam Barrett with her clipboard and elbowed him in the shoulder during a 2013 game against Colorado State, as reported by the Union-Tribune.

"In a feeble attempt to cover up the real reason for firing her," reads the February 2014 lawsuit, "SDSU fabricated a pretextual explanation for her termination that was intentionally and devastatingly harmful to her. As a result, Burns has not yet been able to secure another coaching position, despite her incredible record of success." (Burns is now the assistant head coach at the University of Southern California).

Burns's complaint states the real reason that university administrators forced her out was because she refused to live with what she considered a double standard between the men and women's basketball programs.

"...[Burns] had to fight a dysfunctional athletics administration that prioritized men's sports over women's basketball.... The athletics directors focused their time, efforts, and priorities on football and men's basketball, to the detriment of women's athletics. Coach Burns refused to remain silent in the face of the inequities she witnessed."

Her refusal to stand on the sidelines put her at odds with staffers and the numerous athletic directors who worked at the university before Sterk took over.

This Friday (August 19), attorneys for both sides will appear for a trial readiness conference before judge Judith Hayes. On Friday, August 26, the trial will begin at 9 a.m.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gilbert Castellanos, Buddha Trixie, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Shane Hall, Brian Jones Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival

Grand Socials, gigs, and record releases in Del Mar, City Heights, Solana Beach, Little Italy, and Ocean Beach
Next Article

Hip-hop artist Don Elway makes movies for his music

Not Ordinary EP tells a story of life on the streets

On August 26, Beth Burns — San Diego State University's longtime women's basketball head coach who is suing the university for wrongful termination — will get her day in a different type of court than she is used to: San Diego Superior Court.

A judge will begin the civil trial in Burn's 2014 lawsuit against San Diego State University. In her complaint, Burns, who coached the women's basketball team for 16 seasons and is the winningest coach in San Diego State history, claimed the university forced her resignation less than a year after leading the Aztecs to a school-record 27-win season.

Burns claimed the university fired her in retaliation for her insistent demands that the women's program be given the same treatment as the men's basketball program.

Sponsored
Sponsored

In her complaint, Burns says soon-to-be former athletic director Jim Sterk (who on August 16 accepted a job at the University of Missouri) gave Burns an ultimatum: quit, retire, or be terminated. According to Burns's complaint, Sterk alleged Burns slapped assistant head coach Adam Barrett with her clipboard and elbowed him in the shoulder during a 2013 game against Colorado State, as reported by the Union-Tribune.

"In a feeble attempt to cover up the real reason for firing her," reads the February 2014 lawsuit, "SDSU fabricated a pretextual explanation for her termination that was intentionally and devastatingly harmful to her. As a result, Burns has not yet been able to secure another coaching position, despite her incredible record of success." (Burns is now the assistant head coach at the University of Southern California).

Burns's complaint states the real reason that university administrators forced her out was because she refused to live with what she considered a double standard between the men and women's basketball programs.

"...[Burns] had to fight a dysfunctional athletics administration that prioritized men's sports over women's basketball.... The athletics directors focused their time, efforts, and priorities on football and men's basketball, to the detriment of women's athletics. Coach Burns refused to remain silent in the face of the inequities she witnessed."

Her refusal to stand on the sidelines put her at odds with staffers and the numerous athletic directors who worked at the university before Sterk took over.

This Friday (August 19), attorneys for both sides will appear for a trial readiness conference before judge Judith Hayes. On Friday, August 26, the trial will begin at 9 a.m.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Tyler Farr, Blue Water Film Festival, Mustache Bash

Events March 21-March 23, 2024
Next Article

Coyote tracks in frail San Diego avocado grove

Second place winner in Reader neighborhood writing contest
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.