Mark of a Champion Raceland Archery Coach Doug Burchett Named National Archery Coach of the Year

Mark of a Champion

Raceland Archery Coach Doug Burchett

Named National Archery Coach of the Year

Jarrod E. Stephens

The Ashland Beacon

There are some things in life that occur like clockwork. The sun rises each day and sets in the evening. Flowers bloom in spring, grass grows in the summer and each fall in Raceland, Doug Burchett shows up on the archery range. Since 2006 Doug has been a fixture on the archery range not only in Raceland but across the state and his efforts and achievements are getting national recognition.

In 2006 Doug began instructing archery to a small group of students in Raceland’s after school program. What began as a simple volunteer activity soon became a passion. The students enjoyed the activity so well that they wanted to start a team.

“Doug wouldn’t have likely gotten involved in archery if I didn’t work with the 21st century program,” Sandy Burchett, Doug’s wife said. “We needed an enrichment activity for the program and chose to do archery.”

The team did not begin competing in official tournaments until 2007. Of course, with any new competitive sport there will be some growing pains, and the season didn’t end the way that they’d hoped. “We thought we were going to make it to state that year, but we didn’t,” Burchett recalled. “They only took the top three teams, and we placed 4th.”

“The first year we made it to state was in 2008,” Doug said. “Since then, the only one year we didn’t make it to state. It was in 2013 because I had a heart procedure.”

The Rambow elementary school archery team has been to the state tournament fifteen times since Burchett has been at the helm. Don’t be fooled into thinking that Doug has stuck around for the accolades. It’s truly his love for the sport and the kids.

Doug is quick to state what his greatest joy of the journey has been. “Just getting involved. I just wished that I could have started when I was twenty-one-years-old so that I could have kept up with them.”

When asked what has kept him going throughout the hard times and health struggles Doug said, “I love the kids. Period. It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life. The kids always beg me not to quit.”

Doug loves to socialize, and he enjoys meeting new and old friends at the tournaments. “At each tournament archers come up to me and talk to me,” he said. “I just love it!”

If you ever see Doug at archery practice or a NASP tournament it won’t take you long to detect that his energy and enthusiasm for the sport is quite contagious. His archers go tournaments expecting to win. Needless to say, he expects them to win as well.

“He has made an impression on everybody,” Sandy said. 

The competitions didn’t stop at the state level, and his teams have competed nearly every year in the national tournament as well. Doug has several hundred archers pass through his program and his dedication has not gone unnoticed.

The 2024-25 season was filled with success again and the team shot well all season long. They placed 10thoverall in the state. Due to health issues, Doug had considered retiring from coaching at the conclusion of the season and had declared that the state competition was his last. Unbeknownst to Doug, a plan to nominate him for a prestigious award was underway.  

Each year the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) selects a coach of the year based on nominations. One of the criteria of the award states, “The nominee must have a proven history of making an overwhelming positive difference in the lives of participating NASP students.” There was an overwhelming number of nominations turned in by parents, archers and other people and after nominations were turned in across the nation, Doug Burchett was selected as Coach of the Year for the 2025 On Target for Life.

Since the conclusion of the state tournament Doug has not been attending practice, “I’ve been sad since I told the kids that I was going to retire.”

Just this past weekend Doug and his wife received official notification that Doug had won the Coach of the Year award, and it seemingly has breathed new life into his coaching career. In fact, Doug showed his gratitude for his archers as he again started attending practice. “They were down to ten or twelve archers in practice until they knew I was coming back. We had 18 when I came back. Even a couple of the kids cried when they saw me in.”

Coach Burchett was overwhelmed by the many nominations and letters of recommendation that he received. “The response online and on Facebook has been amazing,” Doug said. “People from all over have said so many nice things.”

While Doug’s future in the sport may be somewhat up in the air at this point, his past efforts and accomplishments have paved a clear pathway for this long overdue recognition. Coach Burchett will receive his official award and recognition at the Nation Archery Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky on May. 10. Congratulations Coach Burchett and much thanks from the Raceland Archery community for your love and dedication to our kids.