University of Montevallo Athletics

Buffie Burson, a two-year letter winner as a member of the women's basketball team, began her legendary coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at Montevallo.  After her time at Montevallo, Burson, a St. Louis, Missouri native, spent three years as an assistant coach at Shorter University. In 1994, Burson was named the head coach at the University of North Georgia, where she has been ever since.  In 26 years as the North Georgia head coach, Burson has posted 21 winning seasons, 12 national tournament appearances and four NCAA tournament appearances.  She made her furthest run in the NCAA tournament in 2019, notching the first Elite Eight appearance in program history, after winning the Southeast Regional Championship.  Burson has been named the Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year three times (2006, 2014, 2018), the Atlanta Tip-off Club/ Naismith Awards Georgia Coach of the Year and the 2014 WBCA Region Coach of the Year.  She is also a four-time Atlanta Tip-off/ Naismith Awards NAIA Coach of the Year and a three-time Georgia Alabama Carolinas Conference (now known as the Southern States Athletic Conference) Coach of the Year.  In her career, Burson has coached one National Player of the Year, 10 All-Americans, five Conference Player of The Years, eight Freshman of the Year, along with six Academic All-Americans and several All-Conference and All-Academic selections.