CHICAGO (May 19, 2020) – The Loyola University Chicago men's basketball program mourns the passing of former head coach Ken Burmeister, who passed away today following a bout with cancer at the age of 72. Burmeister served as the Ramblers' men's basketball coach from the 1994-95 through 1997-98 seasons.
 
During his four-year stint in Rogers Park, Burmeister, who served as an assistant coach at DePaul University prior to his arrival on the Lake Shore Campus, guided the Ramblers to 40 wins including a 15-15 season in 1997-98, his final year with the program. 
 
Burmeister led Loyola to a 70-69 victory over Northwestern in just his second game as the Ramblers' head coach and also patrolled the sidelines when the team moved into Gentile Arena in November 1996, piloting the club to a 66-63 victory over Eastern Kentucky in the first regular-season game played in the brand new on-campus facility.
 
He also was responsible for signing a handful of talented players, including forward Javan Goodman, who ranks as one of the program's all-time leaders in both scoring (1,564) and rebounding (908), and guard Earl Brown, among many others.
 
A graduate of St. Mary's University in Texas, Burmeister served as the head coach at UTSA from 1986 through 1990, leading the Roadrunners to 72 victories and a NCAA tournament berth in 1987-88. Following a stint at Loyola, Burmeister went on to serve as the head coach at Trinity University in San Antonio before enjoying a 12-year stay as the head coach at the University of the Incarnate Word.