Arguably one of the top defenders in the country during his time at WPI, Ryan Burke was among the best athletes in the tenure of WPI Hall of Fame soccer coach Malcolm MacPherson.
With his size, speed, and strength, Ryan anchored a defense that allowed only 1.5 goals per game during his junior and senior seasons. Playing in the center of the team’s defense, he was usually called upon to defend the most dangerous attackers on the opposing team. He could push forward to contribute to the Engineers’ offense when the situation called for it. That athletic ability and innate instinct was evidenced by the fact that he scored 43 career points (15 goals and 13 assists) from his central defender position.
“Ryan is arguably one of the finest athletes I have ever been involved with in over 30 years of coaching at the collegiate level,” recalled MacPherson. “He had the size, speed, skill, and athletic instincts to make him one of the top defenders in the New England region as well as in the country. These attributes allowed him to push forward and support the offense when needed.”
A two-time All American (1991, 1992) and a three-time All-New England selection, he was Conference Player of the Year in 1993, one of three times he earned All-Conference accolades.
“Ryan was a selfless player with unlimited stamina— he played the game end to end,” remarked Hall of Fame teammate Greg Tucker. “He did all the hard work. He was a field general who really set the tone for our team’s success. Humble and soft spoken off the field, he was “heard” by everyone on the field through his actions and efforts!”
With the Men’s Soccer program, he represented WPI in both the ECAC Regional tournament (1991) and the NCAA National Tournament (1992). He also earned three varsity letters as a member of the Men’s Outdoor Track Team.
“Ryan was a great teammate and leader of the team, continued MacPherson. “He was well respected by all those he came in contact with.”
He graduated from WPI with a BSCE degree, and spent the first five years after that working toward becoming a Licensed Professional Engineer in New Hampshire. He currently runs a commercial construction company with his uncle, installing buildings for municipalities and private owners. He does a little of everything at the small company—sales, marketing, project management, and installations. He lives in North Conway, N.H., with his wife, Stacey, and their two children.
Since graduating, he has been involved in both playing and coaching soccer. For the past 10 years, Ryan has been a member of the Mount Washington Valley Soccer Club—the last six as president. Within MWVSC and the local recreation programs, he has coached his kids ... currently son Jackson, a senior, and daughter Haylee, a sophomore, are varsity soccer players at Kennett High School in North Conway.
