Olathe football coach and father of 4 dies of COVID at 34; fundraiser supports family
A beloved Kansas City metro area high school football coach has died of COVID-19, according to his loved ones.
Christopher “Cheese” Burnett, who coached for Olathe East High School and Kansas City Glory, an all-female team, died Saturday after spending two weeks in the hospital. He was 34.
Burnett lived in Olathe, where he was raised, with his wife and four children.
He began playing football in second grade, and later attended Highland Community College on a football scholarship, according to his obituary. He went on to work as a paraprofessional educator at Olathe East High School.
His sister, Cierra Fuel, 35, of Olathe, said her brother was goofy, bold and the biggest champion of his family and community.
Fuel, a single mother of three, said her brother helped raise her older children as his own. He also had several god-children, a testament to the parental figure he was to so many youth, whether on or off the football field.
She said her brother earned the nickname “Cheese” as a kid playing football. His coach at the time rewarded players with cheeseburgers at the concession stand for making sacks. Over time, after many trips to the concession stand, Burnett earned the nickname “Cheeseburger.” It was shortened to “Cheese” in high school, and the nickname followed him to his coaching career.
Burnett often used the phrase “F. O. E.” It meant “family over everything,” Fuel said. But for her brother, it also meant “football over everything.”
Fuel said her brother was not vaccinated against the coronavirus, though he had been considering getting the shot prior to contracting the disease.
Burnett’s family is hosting a fundraiser on Facebook asking for financial help supporting his young children. As of Thursday afternoon, the fundraiser had accrued nearly $21,000.
Kansas City Glory, a women’s football team on which Burnett coached, also created a GoFundMe to support Burnett’s family.
“His love for family and coaching impacted all those around him,” the GoFundMe page reads.
A visitation is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon on Sept. 27 at Faith Deliverance Family Worship Center. The family is also planning a public memorial for Burnett from 5 to 8 p.m. on Sept. 27 at the Olathe East High School Field.
This story was originally published September 16, 2021 at 12:33 PM.
