Jon Burke
Founder
Jon Burke is the Founder of Monterey Bay United and brings more than 25 years of experience developing athletes and building championship water polo programs. His career spans high school, collegiate, and national-level coaching, including five years on the USA National Goalkeeper Staff and serving as an assistant coach for men's and women's water polo at UC Davis.
Jon’s teams have earned 13 CIF section championships, one CIF NorCal championship, and 15 league titles, with appearances in 15 CIF section finals and three CIF NorCal championship games. At Stevenson School, he led the program to the first CIF Central Coast Section and CIF NorCal water polo championships in Monterey County history. His coaching contributions have been recognized with the 2017 California High School Coach of the Year honor and the 2024 USA Water Polo Pacific Zone Doc Hunkler Award for Excellence in Scholastic Coaching.
Throughout his career, Jon has helped develop 18 High School All-Americans, more than 75 collegiate water polo players, national team athletes, and Olympic champions. His approach combines technical instruction, tactical understanding, and intentional preparation for the next level of competition.
Jon also serves as Co-Director of College Counseling at Stevenson School, bringing a valuable perspective to student-athlete development. He helps students and families navigate selective college admissions and athletic recruiting and regularly speaks at regional and national conferences on admissions, recruiting, coaching, and student-athlete development.
Jon founded Monterey Bay United to bring this experience to athletes throughout Monterey County. He welcomes athletes at different stages of development, from those learning the game to those pursuing collegiate competition. MBU emphasizes purposeful training, technical excellence, and meaningful competition, helping players build the skills, confidence, and leadership to pursue their goals in water polo and beyond.
Outside the pool, Jon enjoys mountaineering, backpacking, running, and exploring the outdoors with his wife and three children.