BHS Hall of Fame

The 1980 Burnsville High School football team earned the first Class AA football championship in school history, defeating Cambridge High School 23-6 in the last Minnesota state title game played outdoors. Jon Donley rushed for two touchdowns and Tom Thompson intercepted two passes in the victory. The team was led by head coach Dick Hanson. Assistant coaches were Jay Anderson, Vic Berra, Bill Caris, Neal Jeppson, Bruce Nelson and Leon Lunder. Burnsville finished 8-0 in Lake Conference play that year.

Nichole Powell, Class of 2008, is an entrepreneur who founded Kinfield, a public benefit corporation that creates clean, non-toxic outdoor products and donates a percentage of sales to environmental non-profits. While at BHS, she was a member of the chamber chorale, freestyle ensemble and National Honor Society. She earned a double bachelor’s in political science and policy in the global economy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She served as philanthropy chair on the Humorology Executive Board, Panhellenic Council President, and was a member of the Iron Cross Society, one of UW-M’s oldest honor societies. 

Sheryl Booker Jordan, Class of 1982, is an author who has published a novel, titled “Manipulation, Money and Murder,” and two short stories featured in mystery anthologies. She is a member of the Sisters in Crime National Writers Group and serves as secretary for the Mysteries by the Sea chapter. Jordan earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Saint Leo College and a paralegal certification from Old Dominion University. She has been employed at an investment management company for 27 years and is active in several of the company’s diversity and inclusion communities. 

Jay Howard, Class of 1999, played varsity basketball from 1996 to 1999 and graduated as BHS’s all-time scoring leader. He was an all-state selection in 1999 and a finalist for Mr. Basketball in Minnesota. Off the court, Howard was a member of the National Honor Society and Student Council. He went on to earn Academic All-American and Senior Athlete of the Year honors at Augsburg College where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He later earned a Master of Business Administration from Hamline University. Howard served as board chair of the Black Employee Network, is a member of the Augsburg College Alumni Board of Directors and serves as vice president of area enterprise sales within the digital experience department at Adobe in Eden Prairie. 

Pat Feely, retired coach and mentor, was named Minnesota State High School League Softball Coach of the Year while guiding the BHS softball team to back-to-back state championships. The team was ranked in the top 10 in the state during 7 of his 13 years as coach. Feely also coached the girls’ tennis team to one state championship and two state runner-up showings. He led the coaching mentorship program at BHS from 2006-2011. He retired after 52 years of coaching. The BHS softball fields were renamed Pat Feely Fields in his honor in 2007.

Rosalind Cirksena, Class of 1979, is an education trailblazer who dealt courageously with the effects of cerebral palsy to become one of the first students with special needs to receive her education alongside her same-aged peers in District 191 schools. Facing a system not yet equipped to support her physical and educational needs, Cirksena remained determined to not let anything keep her from being the best student possible. She completed vocal training at St. Paul Technical and Vocational Institute in 1979 and has been employed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota for nearly 39 years. She blazed a path for all students with special needs to reach their full potential and receive a quality education.

Dan Beckmann, Class of 2007, is an actor, singer, director, writer and photographer. He recently starred in a 50-state tour of “Letters from Home,” a USO-style singing and dancing show focused on honoring veterans, active military and their families through music. He serves as Artistic Director of Spring Theatre, a youth-oriented theater company in Winston Salem, North Carolina. Beckmann participated in marching band, jazz band, concert band and theater at BHS and went on to graduate from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2011 with a bachelor of fine arts in acting with a minor in film studies. He appeared in numerous theater productions in the Twin Cities from 2011-13 and toured nationally until 2019.