Most people know Kevin Burnett as a pro football player whose teams included the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders.
But more than a decade of college and professional football was just the beginning. Burnett continues to bring his passion for winning and commitment to excellence from the football field to the field of life as a coach, a real estate professional, consultant and investor.
After retiring from football, Kevin took time off with his family, including his wife and four kids. Between his kids’ interest in football, baseball, golf and volleyball he had plenty of sports in his life. He was able to coach his older kids’ football and baseball teams. During that time, he developed a passion for both entrepreneurship and coaching.
“Hey, this is where I see my purpose,” Kevin explained. “It’s where I see my angle.”
While coaching sports, the real estate business and investing may all seem very different, Kevin Burnett brings the same drive to learn and commitment to great teammates to each.
Helping youth meet their goals on and off the field
Originally, Kevin started coaching high school athletes so he could stay connected to the sports he devoted so much of his life to. Quickly, he discovered a deeper motivation.
In 2020, Kevin Burnett started coaching at McArthur High School in Hollywood, Fla. He described his beginning as humble. One formative experience was when he encountered a promising athlete who impressed him from Day 1. He could see future superstar potential.
However, as the school week progressed, this player’s performance became more inconsistent. Kevin took the kid aside and asked whether something was going on. He learned the player hadn’t eaten in three days and this clearly impacted his playing. He took that kid out to eat and was able to help him.
“Then I started to realize, hey, this is why you coach. Because you give kids an opportunity to see what their dreams look like,” Kevin said. He realized he had an even deeper motivation than his love for football.
As a coach, he encounters young athletes with a wide range of backgrounds. He explained that low literacy and poverty are all too common in his home state of Florida. According to the Florida Literacy Coalition, poverty shares strong links with basic-level reading, writing and math skills. The coalition claims as many as one in four Florida adults are at the most basic literacy level and one in three have basic math skills.
“You got to support the whole kid,” Kevin said, referring to the player’s overall well-being, mental health and mindset, as well as the sport. After becoming a head coach, he instituted Mental Health Mondays to provide a framework to mentor his players when it comes to any struggles they face on and off the field.
“I’ve put about 25 to 30 guys into college to play college football at the next level,” he said. Whether these athletes move on through a college into a pro career, they identify their “why” and develop in all aspects of life.
On Mental Health Monday, the players support each other with struggles, set goals for themselves and work on their well-being. He recognizes his role as a coach is different from the work of a mental health professional and was able to provide access to mental health therapists to support his teen athletes.
Just like tapping into his own deeper motivation is essential for him as a coach and investor, he wants his players to keep sight of their own motivation. He works with the high school players to identify theirs.
For example, he said sometimes an athlete may want to play football in college, sign with a pro team, and earn enough to buy his mother a house. He said the motivation needs to run deeper than that in the long term.
“What happens after you buy mom a house?” He said, “I share, so don’t let that be your [sole] motivation. Because if that’s your motivation after you accomplish it, then you got nothing.”
Knowing his own purpose and motivation serves Kevin off the field as an entrepreneur and investor.
Helping others live a better life through real estate and investments
After retirement, Kevin Burnett decided to become a real estate specialist, mortgage loan originator and investor. As an investor, he specializes in multifamily investing and building wealth through real estate. In 2021, he founded Second Estate Realty and through his company, he helps families own their own homes and build wealth.
Burnett’s interest in mentoring and empowerment led him to another impactful program in Las Vegas. He serves as a strategic partner of Summit Holdings, an integrated housing, health care and food insecurity model specifically designed to provide comprehensive wraparound services to veterans and other vulnerable people who rely on Medicare and Medicaid.
It provides a holistic approach, combining medical services with housing and occupational therapy. He explained that social factors set the foundation for physical and mental well-being.
“Where you live, where you work, availability of health care. If you have those three things, you’re more than likely going to be doing very, very good, right?” He added, “I think the biggest part for me is not even the medical care. It’s not the housing, but it’s the reintegration into society.”
In this role, he helps spread the word by speaking to prospective investors at events like the Opal Group’s Family Office and Private Wealth Forum. He believes Summit and similar projects offer investors the opportunity to make an impact. While the project is currently focused on Las Vegas, it’s a model that can eventually apply to other communities tackling similar challenges.
“Sometimes, be where you are and do not try to reach beyond,” he explained, referring to starting a project that may solve big problems, “You know your grace for that moment. So right now, we have an amazing medical team that’s here today to answer any questions needed. But we also have a huge sphere of influence in Vegas, right?”
Through strategic partnerships with Las Vegas area sports teams, politicians, investors and the medical community, Summit Las Vegas has reach and resources in the Las Vegas area. Kevin looks forward to seeing the project’s impact in the next year and beyond.
“I may not change the world in my lifetime,” he said, reflecting on his impact so far in Florida and Las Vegas. “But I tell you what, I did change my corner. Okay? I did change the people that are closely attached to me.”
Read more: Shaun Alexander develops NFL players into impact investors
