UWEC Athletics Hall of Fame
Luke Burger was a bookend tackle to Hall of Famer Clay Iverson during the three-year head coaching stint of Bob Nielson that included a run to the semifinals of the 1998 NCAA championship.
As a senior, Burger was listed at 6-7, 285. He was a local product from Eau Claire North High School who was recruited by Greg Polnasek in 1994 but played his final three seasons for Nielson, starting on teams that went 5-5 in 1996, 7-3 in 1997 and 10-3 in 1998 after a 2-8 finish in 1994 and a 1-9 record in 1995.
Burger missed the 1995 season when he enlisted in the National Guard. He spent six years and one month in the Wisconsin Army National Guard before he was honorably discharged. The Blugolds were an offensive juggernaut in 1997, breaking the school single season records for points, first downs, rushing offense and total offense. They went over the 600-yard mark in total offense three times and had a “worst” game of 414 yards. The Blugolds scored 40 or more points in eight of 10 games that season. Burger blocked for Hall of Fame quarterback Sean Hoolihan and record-setting running back Chad Hoiska during the 1997 campaign. The 1998 team became the first in school history to qualify for the NCAA championships and continued to be a prolific offensive machine behind Burger, who was named to the All-Conference team, the All-Region First Team and the Football Gazette All-America First Team. Burger served as co-captain for a team that defeated Central College, Iowa (28-21) and St. John’s (10-7) in the first two rounds of the playoffs before falling to Rowan, New Jersey (22-19) on a late field goal in the semifinals. The Blugolds were forced to play all of their playoff games on the road. The Blugolds did set school records that season for victories in a season, yards rushing in a game (483) and total offense in a game (690).
Once he finished his senior season, Burger left school to play some additional football. In 1999, he played for the Green Bay Bombers in the Indoor Football League but broke his leg. In 2000, he played for the Duluth-Superior Lumberjacks.
After reconsidering, he decided to further his education once his football days were complete but transferred to UW-Stout for its Hospitality and Tourism Management degree. After graduating in May, 2002, he went to work for a restaurant in Elk River, Minnesota, starting as a sous chef. He worked his way up to banquet chef before becoming the Executive Chef. He held that position until the spring of 2014. After the birth of his second daughter, he changed careers to get a better work/life balance and became a crop claim adjuster which brought him to Sioux Falls, South Dakota where he was living at the time of his induction.
