He was 309. We went together every time. Certainly, football was immensely important to Brandon, butit was his character and the relationship he had with God thatdefined who Brandon Burlsworth really was.HEATHER NICHOLS, Everton, Ark. I just didn't see it.. . John Randle and Aeneas Williams, both members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, participated in an interactive roundtable discussion following the screening. Harrison, Arkansas, is about as small town as it gets. I asked Barbara about what her son's faith meant to him. We put Brandon on a diet, just mainly vegetables, Knight said. David Hunt, who also helped Brian write the screenplay, directed the movie, and Gabe Mayhan was director of photography. Reputation Score. At the point when he showed up, he saw the rear of a white vehicle that he from the start thought was Brandon's. Russ and I know that never happened. [2], Burlsworth graduated in 1998 from the University of Arkansas with a B.A. Tice said he encouraged Burlsworth to accept scholarship offers from smaller schools when he was a senior. So a few months after his death, we started the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation, where we do all of that and more. Itll be real cool.. According to sources, he was focused on his professional progress and awaiting the right time to reveal his relationship. The accident occurred near Alpena, Arkansas, while returning to his old neighborhood. In the book about Brandon's life, retired businessman Bud Walsh of Harrison is credited with advising Brandon's older brother Marty to contact Razorback Assistant Coach Harold Horton to hopefully become a walk-on. Greater, a film depicting the life and tragic death of Brandon Burlsworth will be released in theaters on August 26th. So was I. That looks good, doesnt it? I said. '', Said Brown, ``He's put on a high pedestal, and he's going to be taken care of.''. I went over to the Broyles Center at 10:30 one night. He was preparing to marry Heather Nichols. I looked out there and Brandon had that medicine ball. Brandon Burlsworth went from freshman walk-on to an All-American at Arkansas before being the Colts' third-round pick in 1999. Not like my younger brother Brandon. p. 1226. Of course, he was my brother and you do anything for family, but things were a little tougher for him. Brandon didnt dress the first two games of his freshman season, but we found out that hed be on the field for the third. However, we areSacramento Kings fans, and we thought that Chris Webber'sknockdown of John Stockton was very cool. I will never forget when Brandon came to school, Knight said. It is not the type ending to the story that I wanted," Tice said. renato's palm beach happy hour Uncovering hot babes since 1919. We want Brandon here, but if he cant handle it I can see what I can do to get him to a smaller school, he said. Polian said Burlsworth was "a shining example" to others. [34][35] Northwest Arkansas television station Fox 24 (KFTA) ran a story with details about an advance screening which was held on Tuesday, August 23, 2016, at Malco Razorback 16 theater in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with a question and answer session after the movie.[36]. Id do anything I could for him. Darryl Strawberry didn'tdecide to start doing drugs once he realized kids admired him,and Mike Tyson didn't survive in New York City by makingcrumpets for other children. And I remembered to do what other agents had advised me to do, I kept multiple lines open. [20], In 2007, the "Eyes of a Champion" program was started. I remember the Harrison High coach (Tommy Tice) telling me at the high school all-star game that Brandon was coming here. More than. And I could see a little white car parked in her driveway. Brandon Burlsworth, NFL player. Of course, we didn'tknow it would happen, but Brandon knew all his life that God hadplaced His hand upon him and that he would be nowhere withoutGod. And then there was this walk-on from Harrison. That was in the early summer. But I wanted to uncover the real story. A state police report said that, "for unknown reasons," Burlsworth's car drove left of the center line and hit the left front fender of a tractor trailer. As an actor, he had several roles and was an All-American in college. Script writers are always going to take some liberties. As a faith antagonist, Nick Searcy plays a whittling farmer, who filmmakers believe must represent a message. And Ill get a photo of you in your uniform. He was coveted by UA coaches. }, First published on April 29, 1999 / 3:58 PM. The story of Brandon Burlsworth, possibly the greatest walk-on in the history of college football. Did you forget about agentleman named Payne Stewart and what he accomplished atPinehurst No. At the annual college scouting combine last February, he ran the fastest 40-yard dash of any offensive lineman (4.88 seconds) and had the second-best vertical jump (31 inches). Now I remember this as clear as day, I thought to myself, 'He's not going to play.' That's when the offer to walk-on came. You noticed him.. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. Please remove or replace such wording and instead of making proclamations about a subject's importance, use facts and attribution to demonstrate that importance. It seemed as if the whole town was there to support Brandon and who he was and what he meant to everybody. Clay Henry is the publisher and executive editor of Hawgs Illustrated. My next big memory of Brandon came from a visit with UA assistant coach Rockey Felker during the 1996 season. So by his fourth year at Arkansas, he was already finishing his masters degree. Brandon was killed in a car accident after 11 days of training. Football career [ edit] It was time to call Marty Burlswoth, his brother and all of the other key figures in what I call Brandon's development as an All-America offensive guard. That's the kind of stuff we had for Leotis Harris, Greg Koch and R.C. He told the UA head coach, We need to go get him. [27] The award is given yearly to the most outstanding Division I FBS college football player who began his career as a walk-on. Eighteen students at the University of Arkansas who are primarily from smaller towns and who are characterized as academic overachievers receive $5,000 scholarships. Hell show up and everything will be fine.. Another trait that set Brandon apart was his respectful devotion to doing whatever authority figures asked of him. Primarily, these students come from working families who cannot afford extras like eye care and do not qualify for state funded programs. A couple of weeks before Brandon left for school, one of the Arkansas coaches called me. ``There's going to be an award named after him,'' Nutt said, ``but I don't know if anybody could live up to it. When they were writing the script, someone came to Tulsa and I sat with them for eight hours telling them about Brandon. } It's easy enough to just call and ask. He was throwing it around. He was an All-SEC offensive guard in 1997 and 1998 and a first-team All-American in 1997. It started with a phone call from Henderson State head coach Ronnie Kerr. The book, Eyes of a Champion, the Brandon Burlsworth Story, was delivered in 2001. On top of that, Dad had trouble with drinking and wasnt really in our lives when Brandon was a little boy. Just remember this, Brandon Burlsworth was wanted at Arkansas. The book contains a foreword by former University of Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles and was the inspiration for a movie (see below). Burlsworth was heavily recruited by the University of Arkansas, but he decided to walk-on to the team instead. I came out of the cafeteria and he was sitting on a concrete wall. This page was last edited on 16 February 2023, at 01:14. Funeral services will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. at the gymnasium at Harrison High School. He'd worked to find some linemen. Brandon Burlsworth Was Dedicated & Fully-Focused Player Bang, what a great assessment that turned out to be. Mom and I picked him up at the airport when he came home. He's a heckuva player and he might be an All-American before he's done.. But that heart and desire is what separated him from the others," Tice said. Thats what its all about: What you do while you were here. Drew probably prefers Motel 8 because there's more moneyleft in his wallet the next morning. One thing about the Division II schools in Arkansas, they all knew it was a waste of time to recruit someone that Arkansas planned to offer. He didnt take one summer off the entire time he was at Arkansas. Win the StanleyCup? Mourners viewed a highlight tape of Burlsworth's play. Brandon Vaughn Burlsworth (September 20, 1976 April 28, 1999) was an offensive lineman for the Arkansas Razorbacks football team from 1995 to 1998. This has been a pretty big year for me tra. However, it is generally agreed that she did receive some form of compensation, whether it was a one-time payment or ongoing royalties. Garrett rented a theater in Little Rock and ran down the players from Brandon's team. 66 Colts jersey with a framed picture of him, depicting the player wearing his trademark black-rimmed glasses and crewcut. It was the Razorbacks. Unfortunately, the star died in 1999, aged 22. So I started calling coaches and seeing where he could play. He graduated from Harrison High School and was a recruited walk-on football player at the University of Arkansas. Brandon Burlsworth was a walk-on offensive tackle at the University of Arkansas when he joined the team. Let me tell you about 40 times for offensive linemen, if they run 5.0 to 5.1, that's special. It was 300 pounds.. John E. Hoover can be reached at 581-8384. Tragedy Strikes For The Burlsworth Family Follow the action as the Razorbacks take on the Redbirds at Baum-Walker , On this episode of the Whole Hog Baseball Podcast, Matt Jones and , The Arkansas baseball team has no time to dwell on the 12-3 , Arkansas right fielder Jace Bohrofen is showing the potential at the plate , On Wednesdays we feature an in-state prospect who could be flying under , No. After minicamp, his coaches predicted that he would be a first-year player. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. '', Said Schaeffer, ``He's in a lot better place than the rest of us. Interestingly, Garrett and Brown didn't see it as soon as their coaches. [18] The foundation makes its money via donations and the sale of Burlsworth merchandise. All Rights Reserved. Sep 2016 - Dec 20171 year 4 months. We are raising oursons to respect all people and that violence is not the way tosolve life's problems. Please subscribe to keep reading. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { He had intended to help under advantaged children and the Burlsworth family settled the establishment that in his honor. I remember that day. When we got back home to Harrison, the day of the draft was just filled with anxiety. The stretch around Carrollton in which the crash occurred was not particularly rugged. More than 100 members of Burlsworth's family were present and players from Harrison's football team wore their blue and yellow jerseys. display: none; Children are given a chance to learn from former Razorbacks. 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