Brandon Burlsworth Was Dedicated & Fully-Focused Player He wasthatgood. Although Brandon became a stickler for staying focused and doing things the right way, he also was a typically sloppy teenager until the 10th grade when Barbara told him if he was serious about going to college, "he'd better get his act together." We suddenly needed that gear, because we would be rooting for the Colts. Brandon Burlsworth was born on September 20, 1976, in Harrison, Arkansas. All Rights Reserved. The work ethic that young man displayed is anexample for us all. 1998 The Associated Press. Our parents divorced when Brandon was just two years old. Children are given a chance to learn from former Razorbacks. I looked out there and Brandon had that medicine ball. In 1999, he completed an MBA and was the first Razorback football player to complete a master's degree. He graduated from Harrison High School and was a recruited walk-on football player at the University of Arkansas. Probably wouldn't have anyway. I wasnt sure. But I didnt have that natural talent. Brandon knew what it was like to be doubted, to be told you werent good enough. Man, you might get to play at the next level., Ah, I dont know, I just gotta focus on this season.. I don't think so. If it was green label, Brandon could eat it. 128 Jasper Yell Rd, Everton, AR 72633. He didnt take one summer off the entire time he was at Arkansas. '"I told him how much it would mean to them to receive that message from him.". He was coveted by UA coaches. He'd worked to find some linemen. She called me just before six oclock, with panic and worry in her voice. heather nichols brandon burlsworth . I left around midnight. I do know that Brandon and I met at the high school all-star game, Garrett said. He called to check in a couple of times. It was a terrible day for Harrison, it was a terrible day for the state. Two buses of Razorbacks players arrived. He died instantly. Sep 2016 - Dec 20171 year 4 months. The Burlsworth family has also started a foundation in Brandons memory, which provides scholarships to young athletes. We tell our players that every day of life is a blessing and never take it for granted. Marty Burlsworth It was the Razorbacks. His body was laid to rest in Gass Cemetery in Omaha, Arkansas, on May 2, 1999. 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. Every high school football coach in Arkansas has the opportunity to nominate one player from his team. Before I leave the remarkable legacy of Harrison's Brandon Burlsworth and the film of his life called , now showing in nearly 400 theaters across America, I want to share a few back-story notes. I'll say this, please see the movie. Martin Burlsworth, Brandons older brother at the age of 17, is struggling with his faith. And if someone somewhere told him he wouldn't ever play, they didn't say that for long. But Burlsworth had more to his life than football. That's when the offer to walk-on came. I dont think anyone was at fault. Brandon Burlsworth was a Christian, so his friends and family established the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation to honor his beliefs. [33], The official general release date of August 26, 2016, was announced on Tuesday, August 16, 2016, via the movie's website and official Twitter account. Facebook gives people the power. Rick Reilly's Get the Message? 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. He was Brandon's first coach at the UA. In fact, Ed, who works for FedEx in Harrison and has three children, even named his oldest son after Brandon. We just didn't have a good practice. To givethe Stars the Cup on a clearly illegal goal is atrocious. He declined both, insisting instead on joining the Razorbacks as a walk-on. Not like my younger brother Brandon. He did what we told him. Interestingly, Garrett and Brown didn't see it as soon as their coaches. In 1998, he was selected to the college football all-america team. It was Brandon Burlsworth. But Id do anything for that kid. Burlsworth was very close to his brothers, Marty and Craig. I said I was going to the UofA. Burlsworth is survived by his mother, Barbara Burlsworth of Harrison; and his brothers Marty, of Harrison, and Grady, of Ohio. I'm now asking myself why we acceptviolence as a part of sports. Drew probably prefers Motel 8 because there's more moneyleft in his wallet the next morning. High school awards include the Brandon Burlsworth High School Football Awards. [4], During the 1999 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts selected Burlsworth with the 63rd pick in the third round. We didnt expect Brandon to go real high, and we had been told that he wouldnt. [20], In 2007, the "Eyes of a Champion" program was started. Less than two weeks before, I had watched as Brandon stood on the front lawn of Moms house and gave interviews to local TV crews about getting picked in the NFL draft. Brandon Burlsworth was known as an American professional football player. Our line coach, Mike Bender, loves the way he moves his feet. If its difficult to describe the love for a brother, its impossible to explain the loss of a brother. So was I. That looks good, doesnt it? I said. The following year, he completed an MBA. > what happened to heather nichols brandon burlsworth. He was an All-SEC offensive guard in 1997 and 1998 and a first-team All-American in 1997. When I told him to come at me full force to demonstrate my lesson about blocking, Brandon knocked me flat on my back, leaving me dazed for several seconds.". We don't own video games, and all of our computergames are either sports related or educational. It's great. It breaks my heart that millions of readers will get to know anindividual of Brandon Burlsworth's character not during his lifebut after his death.MICHAEL SZAJENKO, Warren, Mich. Why is it that as an avid reader of SI, I am thoroughly familiarwith the likes of Latrell Sprewell, Albert Belle and LawrencePhillips, but until his tragic death, I had never even heard ofBrandon Burlsworth? They were going to play quickly. He lost from 309 that first day we weighed him to 252 when we sent them home at Christmas. And I could see a little white car parked in her driveway. The drive would always take around an hour and a half but he never made it. Channing Frye and Iman Shumpert are back to explain the stakes, place bets and analyze the most valuable players in the NBA Finals. And boy, was he soaking it in. On the day of his wedding, he was buried. He couldn't go anywhere without signing autographs, which never bothered him. Burlsworth was killed in a traffic accident last Wednesday as he drove from working out at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville to his home in Harrison, a city of about 11,000. I was high as a kite. He said, He came in heavy, but he's already dropped 30 and I bet we are going to be able to put weight back on him by Christmas. I did chuckle when I got a release from a public relations man in Los Angeles touting the movie with a bad fact. renato's palm beach happy hour Uncovering hot babes since 1919. He was coveted by UA coaches. He never drank, smoked or swore. Burlsworth was a recruited walk-on in every sense of the word. And that spring, the Burls boys found themselves in Indianapolis at the combine. ``The only way I could explain Burls is from the outhouse to the penthouse, and he was knocking on the penthouse door.''. He was able to focus and achieve his primary goals that included earning a master's degree, making All-American and being drafted by an NFL team. On the tape, he delivered crushing blocks to protect quarterback Clint Stoerner and punched holes in defensive lines for Arkansas running backs. While the pain of losing Brandon always will be with her and the Burlsworth family, Barbara said she's also come to recognize a larger and mysterious divine plan in all that Brandon's indomitable spirit achieved during his brief lifetime. 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. Everton , AR (870) 429-6321. We planned to move out to Indianapolis with him. Of course, he was my brother and you do anything for family, but things were a little tougher for him. Brandon Burlsworth was 22 years old when he died in a car accident. He was 309. Who was Brandon Burlsworth fiance? It's just hard to believe this happened. He did run 5.0. Brandon Burlsworth measured 6-foot-3 1/4, 308 pounds at the 1999 NFL Combine. Brian Reindl, a former real estate investor and fellow University of Arkansas graduate, spent eight years working on the screenplay. And if Brandon was doing whatever he could on the field, then I sure as heck would do whatever I could to help get my brother there. [12] He was buried on May 2, 1999, in Gass Cemetery in Omaha, Arkansas. He was Arkansas's first All-American player since 1993 and their first player selected to a first-team squad since 1989. Time and the Lord take care of those things, but the immediate aftermath is very tough to deal with.''. A couple of weeks before Brandon left for school, one of the Arkansas coaches called me. The press release stated that the change was due to "[o]verwhelming positive response from screening audiences and the desire of a national theater chain to show it in more locations". He pointed out Burlsworth blocking three on one play. Now I remember this as clear as day, I thought to myself, 'He's not going to play.' Get acover. Burlsworth ran a 40-yard touchdown in 4.88 seconds during the combine, more than any other player. Recruited walk-on is correct in every sense of that phrase, Horton said. Marcus Camby? Finally, in the third round Brandon answered the phone and gave us the thumbs-up. You just had to tell him what to do and he'd do it.. The score for the film was by Stephen Raynor-Endelman with Andrea Von Foerster as the music supervisor. I could not believe what Isaw on the June 28 issue. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC. Virgil sat down beside me about midway through the workout. Win the World Series? He graduated from high school in 1994 and was recruited as a football player for the University of Arkansas. Greater: Directed by David L. Hunt. Brandon Burlsworth played offensive tackle for the University of Arkansas from 2004 to 2007. "He always said there would. Opposing teams made game plans just to handle Brandon. Filming began on Monday, May 6, 2013, in Fayetteville, Little Rock, and Farmington, Arkansas, with a six week production shoot. Burlsworths family and Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles were presented $5,000 checks by Colts owners Jim and Meg Irsay during the teams season opener against Buffalo. He ate only the green label items.. Just remember this, Brandon Burlsworth was wanted at Arkansas. Email him at [emailprotected], Copyright 2023, Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC. That was in the early summer. I just didn't see it.. The coach said he managed to get back to his feet, still surrounded by the team. With Neal McDonough, Leslie Easterbrook, Christopher Severio, Michael Parks. There will be plenty of coverage of Greater, now in theaters. I know hes working hard, but hell know and well know., Coach, mark it down. The Brandon Burlsworth Foundation, in partnership with Walmart/Sam's Optical Department and independent optometrists across Arkansas, provides eye care to thousands of pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade students. [8] In 2013, Bleacher Report named Burlsworth the #1 Greatest Walk-On player of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Era. display: none; The former Arkansas hostile, Brandon Burlsworth was headed to his Harrison, Ark., home from Fayetteville, where he got a SEC West title ring alongside the remainder of the 1998 Razorbacks on April 28, 1999. He can really run. He's a heckuva player and he might be an All-American before he's done.. At the point when he showed up, he saw the rear of a white vehicle that he from the start thought was Brandon's. Half his body was in the passenger seat before he swung his legs in.''. 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