 Burmeister was an all-state quarterback in 1988 and named Mississippi Valley Conference Player of the Year at Iowa City West High School.He was also a 3-year letterman and all-conference performer in basketball and baseball, graduating as the school's all-time leading scorer in basketball.In addition to holding two degrees from the University of Iowa (B.A., 1994, M.A., 1997), Burmeister also played quarterback for Hayden Fry from 1989 to 1993.