For 11 seasons, he’s built the men’s soccer program from the ground up.

He fought for varsity status — and got it. He fought for a brand new, state-of-the-art complex — and he got it. He fought for one of the nation’s top recruits in Soony Saad — and got him (though having his brother on the team sure helps recruiting).

Steve Burns has fought for a lot of things in his time in Ann Arbor. And yesterday, as his hand-picked players gave him the customary Gatorade shower in the waning seconds of the Wolverines’ first-ever Big Ten championship, it became clear that Burns deserves a triumphant round of applause.

For all the incredible things that Michigan’s slew of legendary coaches have done, not many of them have built a team with his/her bare hands. Bo Schembechler didn’t have to convince fans that they should come to Michigan football games. Burns, on the other hand, has used the popularity of last summer’s World Cup to change how students and alumni look at soccer in Ann Arbor.

The soccer team now has one of the best complexes in the country. And that should be a significant bargaining chip when it comes to convincing recruits like Saad to continue filtering to State Street.

With that complex came a host of new fans, coined the Michigan Ultras, who ran a very effective campaign to gain new group members, giving out shirts and scarves as incentive to come to games. The Ultras have garnered enough popularity to be mentioned in the same conversation as the Maize Rage and the Children of Yost.

And they’re catching up to both of them fast — really fast.

Much of that meteoric rise should be credited to Burns (as well as some really dedicated students) who have proved — at least for now — that students care about soccer on a campus that is all about football.

Burns picked up his and the program’s 100th win last weekend against Northwestern, then tore through the competition at this weekend’s Big Ten Tournament, putting the cherry on top with a dominant 4-1 drubbing of host Penn State.

The coach has gotten used to winning, with 10-plus wins in eight of the program's 11 seasons (including this year). He won back-to-back national titles at the club level before the team was a varsity sport (in 1997 and 1998). Not to mention, he’s put six Michigan players into the MLS.

And this season, though the Wolverines don’t have their highest ranking in program history, Burns may have put together his best team, his piece de resistance of coaching.

The Saad brothers are sensational and will be for years to come. Chris Blais is one of the best goalkeepers in the conference. And the team boasts a handful of veteran playmakers, something ever championship team needs to succeed.

But most of all, Burns has proved his worth as an asset in the Michigan sports landscape. He knows how to work with his talent, he knows how to keep his players motivated and most of all, he knows Michigan. After all, he’s been a part of the Michigan soccer program since he played on the club team, starting in 1984.

Now, it’s clear that Steve Burns is the Michigan men’s soccer program. Like Red Berenson for hockey, Burns has taken a blank canvas and turned it into a work of art.

Burns has a long way to catch Berenson as far as winning goes — he trails him by 602 total wins. But that’s no knock on Burns.

He’s the reason why, when I walked into my friend’s room yesterday afternoon, a crowd had already formed around the TV, simply to watch Michigan soccer.

And for that — something I thought I’d never see when I first came to Ann Arbor — I applaud you, Steve Burns.

A job very well done.