Sammie “Mitchell” Ricker has been chosen as the new head football coach at Burbank High School. This will be his first time leading a varsity football team as head coach, though he’s been coaching since 2014.
Ricker spent last season as the defensive coordinator at Legacy of Educational Excellence (LEE) High School in San Antonio, where he helped lead the defense to its best season since 2017 in terms of points allowed. Before LEE, he served in the same role at Burbank during the 2023-2024 season, helping the Bulldogs reach the bi-district playoffs.
A graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio, Ricker is taking over a Burbank team that has made it to the state playoffs four times in the last seven years. That includes an 8-3 record last fall and the school’s first district title since 1978. He’s stepping in for Michael Mull, who left to become the defensive coordinator at Johnson High School.
“I am very excited,” said Ricker, a San Antonio native and MacArthur High School graduate. “A strong foundation has already been set at Burbank. They have strong leadership at the campus. I am very lucky and blessed to continue to try and have success there. They have great kids and a great community.”
At Burbank, Ricker plans to run a mix of three- and four-man defensive fronts and a fast-paced, spread-to-run offense.
“We are thrilled to have Coach Ricker join our SAISD family,” said Fred Anthony, SAISD senior executive director of Athletics. “He emphasizes athletic and academic success, and we are excited for the Burbank community.”
