Maryland native Ethan Burke turns lacrosse dream into Baltimore Ravens opportunity
Ethan Burke, an undrafted free agent born in Pasadena, Maryland, made a name for himself throughout the Baltimore Ravens' training camp.
Burke, a rookie outside linebacker, made the Ravens' initial 53-man roster. The Ravens' deadline to trim their roster to 53 players was 6 p.m. Sunday.
"I'm just grateful to be out here with such great players and coaches and be able to play a game that I love," Burke said.
Raised to love lacrosse
Football wasn't Ethan Burke's first love. Born in Anne Arundel County, he grew up, like many children in the area, with a lacrosse stick in his hands.
"It was always a dream of mine to play lacrosse at Maryland," Burke said.
His father, Zack Burke, nurtured that dream.
The elder Burke played high school lacrosse at St. Mary's in Annapolis before becoming a standout defenseman at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He also coached locally for several years at Archbishop Spalding High School in Severn.
By the time Ethan was 14, he was a 6-foot-3 left-handed player on the radar of many of the nation's top lacrosse programs, including Maryland.
The Burkes were living in San Diego in 2019 when Zack was offered a job taking over the lacrosse program at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas.
"I took everyone with me, and they weren't really happy with me," Zack said. "I just saw a great opportunity, not only for me to take over a good lacrosse program, but I had this giant son who was 6-foot-5 at the time, and I thought it would be pretty cool if he had a chance to play top-notch Texas football, because I knew the size would be there."
Football or lacrosse?
It took Ethan a few years to realize his potential on the football field.
During the fall of his sophomore year of high school, Ethan was offered a spot on the varsity football roster for the playoffs. He declined, choosing instead to pursue his childhood dream of playing lacrosse.
"We turned that down to go to fall recruiting tournaments because we knew Maryland would be there," Zack said. "The ultimate goal would be to play for the Terps, and when [Maryland lacrosse] coach [John] Tillman called, it was unbelievable."
Burke committed to play lacrosse at Maryland, but by the end of his junior football season, a new dream was beginning to take shape.
A broken collarbone at the Under Armour games kept him sidelined for most of his junior football season. His first start came in the Texas 6A state championship game at AT&T Stadium against his eventual college quarterback, Quinn Ewers.
"He got two sacks and had three tips, and you could really see it then how it all kind of came together," Zack said.
But as things were coming together on the football field, Burke had to make a decision with lacrosse signing day approaching.
"Coach Tillman had been following Ethan and his career pretty closely, and he called me and said, 'Hey, I don't want you to sign this letter of intent. Ethan is going to play football, and I know that's where he's going to be. And if anything changes, call me back. We have the same deal on the table and we're ready for you,'" Zack said.
Committed to the University of Michigan
Tillman even tried to get Maryland football coach Mike Locksley on board with allowing Ethan to play both football and lacrosse in College Park, but there wasn't interest.
However, another Big Ten school had taken notice.
When Ethan and his father took an official visit to the University of Michigan, then-head coach Jim Harbaugh had the lacrosse coach waiting for them.
Ethan committed to the Wolverines.
Playing football at the University of Texas
Burke changed his commitment and decided on the University of Texas at the last-minute.
"It's like we've been living in an episode of Friday Night Lights," Zack recalled, as his hunch about his son's potential became reality.
Ethan had grown into a 6-foot-6 run defender who led the Longhorns in sacks with 5.5 during his sophomore season. He played in 51 games and made 17 starts during his four-year career at Texas.
Still, his tape and résumé weren't enough to earn an invitation to the NFL Combine or hear his name called on draft night.
"I was like, 'Man, I don't understand this. I'm so sorry, son,'" Zack said.
Call from the Baltimore Ravens
The disappointment of not being drafted was nothing compared to the joy that would follow as Ethan Burke received a call from the Baltimore Ravens and he was heading back to wear it all began, playing for the professional football team he grew up cheering for.
