And would you believe, all these NFL agents started flying into Harrison wanting to sign Brandon. Gov. John E. Hoover can be reached at 581-8384. But I wanted to uncover the real story. Hes not going down.. He didnt take one summer off the entire time he was at Arkansas. We put Brandon on a diet, just mainly vegetables, Knight said. It's great. I was high as a kite. Tice said he encouraged Burlsworth to accept scholarship offers from smaller schools when he was a senior. ``There will be a delegation from the organization going to the services (Saturday).''. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. My next big memory of Brandon came from a visit with UA assistant coach Rockey Felker during the 1996 season. Every high school football coach in Arkansas has the opportunity to nominate one player from his team. He is most famous for his college football career at the University of Arkansas. Polian said Burlsworth was "a shining example" to others. Burlsworth's hometown preacher, the Rev. #inline-recirc-item--id-b47cc06a-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-b47cc06a-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { Brandon Burlsworths car was a white Subaru. ``He was the type of person that you didn't get to know, but you knew you wanted to get to know him,'' Leeuwenberg said. Greater originally had a U.S. theatrical release date scheduled for January 2016, which was later moved to summer 2016, starring Neal McDonough, Leslie Easterbrook, Michael Parks, Nick Searcy, Quinton Aaron, M. C. Gainey, Fredric Lehne, Texas Battle, Wayne Duvall, and Christopher Severio as Brandon, as well as cameos by author Jeff Kinley and Brandon's brother, Marty Burlsworth. The Olympic Gold Medalist shines light on her Hispanic heritage fueling her career. The coaches would talk about him. 77 jersey, naming the weight room after him, and permanently encasing his locker. I must have been taking my nap when the rule was published thatathletes were supposed to be saints. The book, Eyes of a Champion, the Brandon Burlsworth Story, was delivered in 2001. On April 28, 1999, he died in a car accident. Now, if you find yourself at that Colts shop, I told him, You make sure and get us some gear this time.. I do remember this, when we came back that second semester ahead of spring drills, you knew him then because he was doing things in our workouts that showed extra effort, Brown said. As I look at the first photo in thearticle, I can only hope the "free-spirited" Brister is smartenough to start wearing a helmet when he's driving hisall-terrain vehicle.MARK ROWAN, Pittston, Pa. Emanuel Yarbrough's agent has it figured all wrong (SCORECARD,June 28). [citation needed], The Brandon Burlsworth Championship Award is presented at the Arkansas state football championship games to one player from each team for conduct above and beyond expectations. His high school coaches couldnt believe his size when he came back for his junior season. INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Colts on Sunday remembered Brandon Burlsworth, the team's third-round draft pick who died in a traffic crash before he could take his place in their offensive line. And if someone somewhere told him he wouldn't ever play, they didn't say that for long. Sep 2016 - Dec 20171 year 4 months. I dont how many times Id call to check in.Coach, ya need anything?Id sit every week with the newspaper. Now, you don't know if he is going to make it, but you knew then that he had a chance because it's a sure indicator of athletic ability.. Ive kind of been planning it that way.. Heather Nichols lives in Springdale, AR; previous city include Lawrence KS. The book contains a foreword by former University of Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles and was the inspiration for a movie (see below). He tragically died in a car accident 11 days after being drafted. Not like my younger brother Brandon. To this day, people tell me where they were when they heard the news. Before I leave the remarkable legacy of Harrison's Brandon Burlsworth and the film of his life called Greater, now showing in nearly 400 theaters across America, I want to share a few back-story notes about the 22-year-old Razorback All-American who died in a tragic traffic accident on April 28, 1999. By that point he was about six-foot-two, over 200 pounds and still growing. Two buses of Razorbacks players arrived. He called to check in a couple of times. Tice, now the athletic director for Huntsville, said he's never donned another helmet. By using BiJog.com you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Again, that's a coach hitting it right on the head of the nail. Burlsworth was lauded by those who knew him as a tireless worker, a perfect gentleman and a strong Christian. I know some guys will be there who I haven't seen in 20 years.. Brandon belonged on that field, and he knew it. Mom and I picked him up at the airport when he came home. 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. "I took the player's helmet and put it on," said Tice. It is very difficultto admit that in one second, all the dreams that Brandon and Ishared are gone: the dreams of our first house, our children,our careers and the rest of our lives together. Please remove or replace such wording and instead of making proclamations about a subject's importance, use facts and attribution to demonstrate that importance. He was a two-time All-American and was the first member of the Arkansas football team to earn a masters degree. You know, Brandon, you could think about entering the draft. [1] Burlsworth played on two SEC Western Division championship Razorback football teams (1995, 1998). I go straight to the sports and see if any scholarships were offered. The man trying to tackle himin the picture is my father, Gail Bruce. We were at UCA in Conway for all-star camp. Brandon Vaughn Burlsworth (September 20, 1976 - April 28, 1999) was an offensive lineman for the Arkansas Razorbacks football team from 1995 to 1998. After he redshirted his first year (1994), he transformed his pudgy 300lb (140kg) frame into a svelte 260lb (120kg), and, over the next two years, built himself back up to a muscular 300lb (140kg) offensive guard. I wanted everything for Brandon, and within a few moments, it had all been taken away. Please subscribe to keep reading. It goes beyond words. Ronnie said they had just timed Brandon at 5.0 in the 40. The Burlsworth family was paid by the Colts after their son, Brandon, died. He never even got to wear his Citrus Bowl ring. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. Arlis Thrasher, said the couple was to have spent Saturday picking out wedding rings. He said he wanted to hold football camps and bring kids to his NFL games. Brandon was 22 years old when he died in a car his crash on April 28, 1999. This page was last edited on 16 February 2023, at 01:14. with the gold medal on the line!JESSE BERKOWITZ, Fairfield, Iowa. Itll be real cool.. ``Around here in this town, he was the man,'' Marty Burlsworth told the paper. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { And it was Brandons time. More than. Garrett expects to see Houston Nutt and other coaches from those teams. We like him a lot. Awardees are announced in late spring following the fall football season.[24]. The school was going to give Brandon a scholarship. Burlsworth's efforts earned him first-team All-SEC honors in 1997 and 1998, and he was selected for the 1998 College Football All-America Team. The Harrison Youth Center in Harrison, Arkansas, was renamed the Brandon Burlsworth Youth Center in May 1999. He did what we told him. Burlsworth attended Harrison High School where he was an All-State selection. I cannot believe that sprinter Maurice Greene wasn't on thecover after breaking the world record in track's most glamorousevent, the 100-meter dash.MICHAEL PAULIN, Cincinnati. Brandon was home. Heather Nichols and he were about to tie the knot. '', Said Schaeffer, ``He's in a lot better place than the rest of us. He said teammates would tease Burlsworth about his glasses, and Brlsworth would respond, "I got to see what I hit.". was a wake-up call to thismarried stay-at-home mother of three boys (THE LIFE OF REILLY,June 21). In 2001, the book Through the Eyes of a Champion: The Brandon Burlsworth Story, written by Jeff Kinley, was released. He was a walk-on who became an All-American and was drafted in the 3rd round of the NFL draft by the Colts. Burlsworths life was tragically cut short when he was killed in a car accident on April 28, 1999. After this picture wassnapped, Motley dragged my father 30 more yards. On stage near the casket was Burlsworth's No. High school awards include the Brandon Burlsworth High School Football Awards. [13], After his death, family and friends established the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation in honor of his work ethic and Christian values. Arkansas doesnt have a pro football team I dont even know if a pro team could survive here. I kept gaming out who was left. Im sure he just got stuck in traffic, or maybe ran out of gas. It's our right guard, Felker said. Brown doesn't remember Brandon that first semester, either. He is a voter for the Heisman Trophy and has been inducted into the Arkansas Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame. Brandon Burlsworth, 28, was killed in a car accident while returning from a college football game when he crossed the center line and was hit by a tractor-trailer. I tried bringing it up to him again. Burlsworth, a guard who earned second-team All-America honors as a senior last season, was remembered warmly Saturday at a funeral ceremony attended by an estimated 2,000 people at Harrison High. "Brandon was such a humble person who cared about and respected others," she continued. He made close friends with Ed Robinson, who was a bit older. I don't think so. [12] He was buried on May 2, 1999, in Gass Cemetery in Omaha, Arkansas. Everton , AR (870) 429-6321. Please enter valid email address to continue. And then there was this walk-on from Harrison. Locations and showtimes are available onwww.greaterthemovie.com. ``I used to kid him about being the only guy on campus who wore his car on his back,'' said Russ Brown, who played on the Arkansas Razorback offensive line with Burlsworth for four years. "He always said there would. You noticed him.. He was coveted by UA coaches. 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