"He told me, Coach, I want to be a Razorback. He started as a walk-on and grew to the anchor of the offensive line. He wont be going down., Well, thats good, he said, sort of laughing. It's our right guard, Felker said. But the mostimportant thing that Brandon would want everyone to know is thaton the day of his death, he was prepared. Greater is a 2016 American biographical sports film directed by David Hunt and starring Christopher Severio as American football player Brandon Burlsworth, a walk-on college player who became an All-American, dying in a car crash 11 days after being drafted high in the 3rd round to the National Football League. Can you imagine a728-pound goaltender? It goes beyond words. } The stretch around Carrollton in which the crash occurred was not particularly rugged. Knight pointed to Garrett and Brown. So Mom, Brandon and I piled into my minivan and we drove over to Fayetteville. He just never sought the limelight. [1] Burlsworth played on two SEC Western Division championship Razorback football teams (1995, 1998). As an actor, he had several roles and was an All-American in college. To be of the offensive line Brandon took a risk and walked on 1994! Brandon Burlsworths car was a white Subaru. The story of Brandon Burlsworth, possibly the greatest walk-on in the history of college football. He became very active in the youth group. Marcus Camby? The school was going to give Brandon a scholarship. [23] The Burlsworth Character Awards are a national award honoring character and sportsmanship in high school football. ``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. I don't care how good a player he becomes; he's theepitome of what's wrong with sports today.TOM MCCLURE, Cherry Hill, N.J. J.D. heather nichols brandon burlsworth . To givethe Stars the Cup on a clearly illegal goal is atrocious. Facebook gives people the power. Burlsworth was selected by the Indianapolis Colts with the first overall pick of the 1999 NFL Draft. 12 Tennessee imposed its will against Arkansas on Tuesday night in , Hear from Eric Musselman and Ricky Council after the Razorbacks' loss at , ( View the profiles of people named Heather Nichols. We watched the game from this conference room at the top of the stadium. I thought, 'Man, this guy is giving effort still.' Now, I was taking calls from the same stations about Brandons death.. I kept gaming out who was left. Brandon Burlsworth was born on September 20, 1976, in Harrison, Arkansas. Burlsworth is survived by his mother, Barbara Burlsworth of Harrison; and his brothers Marty, of Harrison, and Grady, of Ohio. Our parents divorced when Brandon was just two years old. He started as a walk-on and grew to the anchor of the offensive line. Burlsworth was declared dead at the scene. But this was on a different level. I have no issue with that. Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt, who coached Burlsworth for just one season, said ``several things'' are being discussed to memorialize Burlsworth. We may still get one. (NWA Media). "Others will play guard for us, but we won't replace Burlsworth.". Burlsworth ran a 40-yard touchdown in 4.88 seconds during the combine, more than any other player. But as it got later in the evening and Mom got more and more worked up, I hopped into my own car to head over and see if we could find out what had happened. That's the kind of stuff we had for Leotis Harris, Greg Koch and R.C. Brandon had gained quite a bit of weight since the end of the high school season. Although he never played a down in the NFL, he had impressed Mudd enough during mini-camp that the. [18] The foundation makes its money via donations and the sale of Burlsworth merchandise. On stage near the casket was Burlsworth's No. Brandon Burlsworth was born on September 20, 1976, in Harrison, Arkansas. Mike Masterson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He was a two-time All-American and was the first member of the Arkansas football team to earn a masters degree. Bentonville, AR. Every high school football coach in Arkansas has the opportunity to nominate one player from his team. Coach Ford asks someone would he please do something. The score for the film was by Stephen Raynor-Endelman with Andrea Von Foerster as the music supervisor. [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]. ``It is my loss that I could not become friends with him. July5). Rick Reilly's Get the Message? FAYETTEVILLE There is a great comfort level that Hollywood came close enough on Brandon Burslworth's story in the movie Greater. It was at an October practice that first fall. Now, if you find yourself at that Colts shop, I told him, You make sure and get us some gear this time.. Additionally, a Razorback football player who began his career as a walk-on but then earned a football scholarship is honored as the year's Burlsworth Athletic Scholar. More than 1,000 mourners gathered Saturday at the Harrison High School auditorium. So you just walk down this side of the stadium, O.K.? He was returning from a church trip with his mother and was about to tie the knot with Heather Nichols. He pointed out Burlsworth blocking three on one play. 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. You just had to tell him what to do and he'd do it.. After this picture wassnapped, Motley dragged my father 30 more yards. I let out a little sigh of relief. 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. I opened the door to Moms house and she was in a state. Mike likes him. The foundation's logo prominently features Burlsworth's signature black-framed glasses. So I did whatever I could to be there for Brandon. For instance, the film didn't disclose that, shortly before his death, Brandon had formed a budding relationship with a college co-ed, also from Harrison. It has nothing to do with Brandon Burslworth. Burlsworth attended Harrison High School, where he played football and wrestled. He did what we told him. He could finally reap the rewards of everything he put into the game all the training, all the schooling, all the dedication, all the hard work. 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. He was preparing to marry Heather Nichols. Win the World Series? I could not believe what Isaw on the June 28 issue. I do know that Brandon and I met at the high school all-star game, Garrett said. Remember, this was really Danny's first full recruiting class. But I don't remember Brandon in that game. On the tape, he delivered crushing blocks to protect quarterback Clint Stoerner and punched holes in defensive lines for Arkansas running backs. His jersey was retired by the Arkansas Razorbacks in his honor and his locker was displayed in glass for public viewing. As we walked by one of the pro shops, we joked to each other. Every NFL offensive linemen I've ever had, they ran like that, Horton said. Boy, did he have the size and did he have the skills. Brandon's jersey #77 is retired at the University of Arkansas. His father, Archie, was a truck driver and his mother, Olivia, was a homemaker. 12 Tennessee attacked the glass on both ends of the floor , Losing leads on the road has been a problem for the Razorbacks, , It had nothing to do with officiating, but no one got more , No. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Again, that's a coach hitting it right on the head of the nail. In fact, Ed, who works for FedEx in Harrison and has three children, even named his oldest son after Brandon. I never used to worry before Brandon died. Maybe they knew by the time Felker knew, but they don't even remember Burslworth in the freshman locker room. '"I told him how much it would mean to them to receive that message from him.". Other boys would go home after school got out in May and stay there until camp started in late July. John E. Hoover can be reached at 581-8384. And it was Brandons time. Burlsworth was very close to his brothers, Marty and Craig. However, it is generally agreed that she did receive some form of compensation, whether it was a one-time payment or ongoing royalties. Burlsworth was selected to be of the team captains by his junior season in 1997 for the University of Arkansas. They all played in the NFL., Horton hung up the phone, marched down to Ford's office. 27 Fv 2023 . Brandon Burlsworths family has been through a lot in the past few years. A film about Brandon's existence with the working title "Greater" was shot in 2013 and was released as a feature movie on August 26, 2016. Brandon Burlsworth was only 22 years old when he died. Burlsworth attended Harrison High School where he was an All-State selection. Burlsworth was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts with the 63rd pick in the 1999 NFL Draft, but he tragically died in a car accident just 11 days later. I think Brandon would be proud of the work were doing in his name. Also not included in the film is that Brandon and Marty also have a brother named Grady. The Harrison Youth Center in Harrison, Arkansas, was renamed the Brandon Burlsworth Youth Center in May 1999. Ido want to make another point. "We are going to retire his high school jersey. The day of Brandon's funeral was the day Brandon and I hadplanned to pick out our engagement rings. Rest in peace, Brandon.DAVE SISTARO, Staten Island, N.Y. Mom and I picked him up at the airport when he came home. Im sure he just got stuck in traffic, or maybe ran out of gas. Outside candidates. The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Florida), May 2, 1999, Sun. Join the discussion or start a new one on the Forums. Arlis Thrasher, said the couple was to have spent Saturday picking out wedding rings. Past participants include Anthony Lucas, Clint Stoerner, Joe Dean Davenport, Madre Hill, Grant Garrett, Russ Brown, Barry Lunney Jr., Chad Abernathy, Jeremiah Washburn, Michael Smith, Lucas Miller, and others. He said he was, too, as a walk-on. 2?JEFF GOSS, North Providence, R.I. "The first time I welcomed him into that weight room he was a gangly awkward sophomore, who we used a sun dial to time the 40-yard dash. If not, he couldn't. When I turned on to the street behind Moms house, I could see her driveway through this little opening between houses. Man, you might get to play at the next level., Ah, I dont know, I just gotta focus on this season.. Burlsworth was heavily recruited by the University of Arkansas, but he decided to walk-on to the team instead. Kind words One player with the colts said it's his loss he won't get to be friends with Brandon Burlsworth. A college-studenttrainer has it even tougher. I was just so proud of him. Is Greater a true story? But Burlsworth had more to his life than football. 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. ``He was the first in the weight room and the last off the field. He was in the prime of his football career. It was a terrible day for Harrison, it was a terrible day for the state. The 22-year-old Burlsworth, who had been drafted by the Colts 11 days earlier in the wake of gaining first-group All-America respects as a fifth-year senior, was involved with a head-on crash with a tractor-trailer around 15 miles outside Harrison and was killed. His awards and his many accolades are numerous but among them are earning a scholarship the first year. Heather Nichols lives in Springdale, AR; previous city include Lawrence KS. After Brandon was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts, the caring couple asked Barbara if they might give Brandon some new shirts and a set of luggage for his trip. I couldn't believe the quotes from J.D. If its difficult to describe the love for a brother, its impossible to explain the loss of a brother. So when he was two hours late that evening, Mom started to get worried. Brandon Burlsworth's first act as a wealthy NFL offensive tackle was going to be to buy himself a bigger car. ``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. I remember all of it pretty well, Knight said. And every week he was right on time with his little white Subaru parked in Moms driveway. ``(Colts owner) Jim Irsay made it clear to me last night when I delivered the sad news, that Brandon was a Colt and we are going to honor his memory in the appropriate fashion,'' Indianapolis general manager Bill Polian said at a press conference Wednesday. Friends with Brandon Burlsworth 's first act as a walk-on even remember Burslworth the... 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