That’s the dream. After the draft, he spoke to me a lot about helping other kids in Harrison. The football fraternity had … He wasn’t as tall or as heavy as D-I colleges wanted him to be. So by his fourth year at Arkansas, he was already finishing his masters degree. On top of that, Dad had trouble with drinking and wasn’t really in our lives when Brandon was a little boy. He was that good. “Sure, bring him on up for a game,” he said. We were going to Fayetteville for the game and I called him early in the week to tell him where our seats would be. I never used to worry before Brandon died. As Brandon and I were standing out there, the offensive linemen came out, running on the field with their helmets on. Brandon Burlsworth, who was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts 11 days earlier, was on his way home from a workout in Fayetteville to attend his church with his mother. He was the first pick in the third round, the 63rd overall selection. Houston Nutt told a tearful Barbara Burlsworth. And then he walked out and there it was: BURLSWORTH. Brandon Burlsworth measured 6-foot-3 1/4, 308 pounds at the 1999 NFL Combine. Arlis Thrasher, said the couple was to have spent Saturday picking out wedding rings. When his brother Marty said to Brandon in his junior year that he may have a chance in the NFL, Brandon quickly replied, “I don’t know, I’ve gotta focus on the season.” So was I. “That looks good, doesn’t it?” I said. I was just so proud of him. But you can control how hard you work.” He then delivers this well-known truism: “Sow a thought, reap an action. It was soon after the camp that Burlsworth died in an automobile accident driving from Indianapolis back to Arkansas. With three grown sons, the Burlsworths are now empty nesters who eagerly approach football season each year, but find themselves in a different position this year, anticipating the attention that their story will receive. There just wasn’t enough space anywhere else. Locations and showtimes are available on www.greaterthemovie.com. He joined the team as a walk-on and eventually became an All-American. It was just one of those things — when it’s time, it’s time. © 2021 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Brandon was home. Harrison, Arkansas, is about as small town as it gets. He may be gone, but I still want to do whatever I can to keep his dreams going, to keep his legacy going. The struggles that he had gone through to get where he was were over. But as good as he was, Brandon was also a late bloomer  — he was only 17 his senior year — and he was still a little undersized for college ball. There’s no explanation for it. Our parents divorced when Brandon was just two years old. He piled into his little Subaru and started for home. That’s what it’s all about: What you do while you were here. I don’t think anyone was at fault. The accident came less than two weeks after the Colts selected him and shortly after he had participated in the team's minicamp where coaches tabbed him as a potential starter at guard. Marty Burlsworth … “Man, you might get to play at the next level.”, “Ah, I don’t know, I just gotta focus on this season.”. And it paid off. Not like my younger brother Brandon. Brandon McMillan Personal Life. “Dang, Marty, what have you been feedin’ that boy?”. Arlis Thrasher, said the couple was to have spent Saturday picking out wedding rings. And it was Brandon’s time. He asked me to help him, but there’s all this certification that goes into being an agent. The trophy is given annually to a … He won’t be going down.”, “Well, that’s good,” he said, sort of laughing. And the first call I made was to the recruiting coordinator at Arkansas. He’ll show up and everything will be fine.”. . BRANDON BURLSWORTH "Thank you for the privilege of letting us have a young man like that." “Auburn laughed a lot at me, so did Ole Miss,” Brandon told me. We still don’t really know what happened that afternoon. “I know he’s working hard, but he’ll know and we’ll know.”, “Coach, mark it down. 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. Burlsworth, 22, died 10 days after his selection on April 28, 1999, in a car crash in Arkansas. We didn’t expect Brandon to go real high, and we had been told that he wouldn’t. Mourners viewed a highlight tape of Burlsworth's play. Still, with each pick, even in the first round, you get more and more nervous. Brandon didn’t dress the first two games of his freshman season, but we found out that he’d be on the field for the third. Brandon Burlsworth, NFL player. When I turned on to the street behind Mom’s house, I could see her driveway through this little opening between houses. At that moment, we both felt so close to his dream coming true — something that wasn’t even a possibility for a boy who had been sitting on the sidelines just two years ago. Brandon knew what it was like to be doubted, to be told you weren’t good enough. Former Arkansas head Coach Danny Ford hugs Barbara Burlsworth in August 2010 in Fayetteville after the unveiling of the Burslworth Trophy in honor of her son, Brandon. When the pandemic started, I guess we all needed to find hobbies to help us pass the time.  For me, it was reading. Brandon Burlsworth; No. His high school coach tells the team, “You can’t control who your mom and dad is. A couple of weeks before Brandon left for school, one of the Arkansas coaches called me. 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. This was the dream. Brown said the movie got it right when they showed Brandon late at night throwing a medicine ball around in the indoor workout area of the Broyles Athletic Center. By the time he was a senior, we both knew that if we wanted to keep playing football he was going to have to enter the NFL draft. INDIANAPOLIS – By now, Brandon Burlsworth likely would be retired, probably a world champion and former Pro Bowler and, possibly, according to his brother, Marty, headed to Canton, Ohio. We planned to move out to Indianapolis with him. Directed by David L. Hunt. BURLSWORTH, 22, a third-round draft pick of the Indianapolis Colts on April 17, was driving on U.S. 412 when he became involved in the crash with two tractor-trailers, officials said. And boy, was he soaking it in. He died instantly. There’s never a day where I don’t think about Brandon. The story of Brandon Burlsworth, possibly the greatest walk-on in the history of college football. And for the next three years, every Friday at 5:30 p.m., I’d close up the photography studio I owned in Harrison, pick up my mom, and my wife and kids, and drive to Brandon’s football games. It was a terrible day for Harrison, it was a terrible day for the state. At halftime of the team's season-opener against Buffalo, Colts owners Jim and Meg Irsay presented Burlsworth's family and Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles with checks for $5,000 each. “So you just walk down this side of the stadium, O.K.? He’d be all over the line, right off the snap. He died in a car crash on April 28, 1999, shortly after he was drafted by the NFL's Indianapolis Colts. So I did whatever I could to be there for Brandon. If you followed the SEC back then, you may remember the Brandon Burlsworth story. Sow an action, you reap a habit. “Typically at that time people didn’t draft guards or centers in the first or second round,” Mudd said. Death. You’ll have all your coursework done and can graduate at the end of the year anyway.”, “Yeah,” he said with a smile. After a long year of romantic dating with Amanda Loretta, Brandon married to her and recently became a husband and wife. Brandon, the officer told us, had collided head-on with a semi. “You know, Brandon, you could think about entering the draft. One of my sons, who was in my car with me, started asking what was wrong, what had happened. He would be the first to point that out. His high school coaches couldn’t believe his size when he came back for his junior season. Brandon wanted to do more, though. He’s not going down.”. discuss his testimony but told reporters that he had never paid a. kickback . "The last thing I told him was, 'Sweetie, watch for old This has been a pretty big year for me — tra. I don’t how many times I’d call to check in. Coach, ya need anything? I’d sit every week with the newspaper. It seemed as if the whole town was there to support Brandon and who he was and what he meant to everybody. I wasn’t sure. Brandon belonged on that field, and he knew it. Channing Frye and Iman Shumpert are back to explain the stakes, place bets and analyze the most valuable players in the NBA Finals. Faith and family — they meant everything to Brandon. Burls Kids still strong today. HARRISON, Ark. It was the Razorbacks. Each Wednesday, he came back to take his mother, Barbara, to chapel. Boy, did he have the size and did he have the skills. I was high as a kite. He played on both sides of the ball and would just blow the field up. State police confirmed the death but would not release details of the … The next week, Brandon flew to Indianapolis for minicamp. I didn’t mean to dismiss Mom’s concerns, but I just figured there was some sort of reason or explanation. Brandon Vaughn Burlsworth was an American football player who played for the Arkansas Razorbacks as an offensive lineman between 1995 and 1998. He spent his first season of high school football as a sophomore on the sidelines. His thick black glasses and resemblance to comedian Drew Carey gave him a unique look. Arkansas doesn’t have a pro football team — I don’t even know if a pro team could survive here. The story of Brandon Burlsworth, the unequipped walk-on lineman who wouldn't quit and became an All-American at Arkansas, finally hits theaters in "Greater." So when he was two hours late that evening, Mom started to get worried. Brandon was so single-minded, so focused. So before he started his senior year, I started working on getting my certification. I was 16 years older than Brandon, so I was already out of the house, married and raising my own boys by the time he was of any age. 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. Walk-on player from Harrison, Ark., considered a long shot to get real playing time. Of course, he was my brother and you do anything for family, but things were a little tougher for him. At Arkansas, the former Harrison High School player became a three-year starter and finished as an All-Southeastern Conference pick and on the Associated Press All-America second team. The struggles that he had gone through to get where he was were over. He was made for it,” he said. Whether it was in Fayetteville, or in Knoxville or Tuscaloosa, we had an unspoken rule: We were going to Brandon’s games. But this was on a different level. We watched the game from this conference room at the top of the stadium. The Brandon Burlsworth Foundation was founded in his name and has several programs: The Burls Kids program takes underprivileged children to all Arkansas Razorback and Indianapolis Colts home games. See, Brandon started out a little scrawny. Mom and I picked him up at the airport when he came home. I kept track of how many might be left for Brandon. O.K., they gave one to that boy, that’s 12 so far. And it paid off. His thick black glasses and resemblance to comedian Drew Carey gave him a unique look. The drive would always take … “I’ve kind of been planning it that way.”. Burlsworth, determined to have dinner with his mother and attend the Wednesday-night service at the Faith Assembly of God church in Harrison, decided to forgo the event. In the end, Brandon got invited to be a walk-on. Every week, Brandon made the drive home. I let out a little sigh of relief. And I remembered to do what other agents had advised me to do, I kept multiple lines open. If it meant going over to Mom’s house to help him with homework, I wanted to be there. Other boys would go home after school got out in May and stay there until camp started in late July. Brandon’s older brother Marty started the foundation after Brandon’s death in 1999. “We want Brandon here, but if he can’t handle it I can see what I can do to get him to a smaller school,” he said. There, the elder Burlsworth remains heavily involved in the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation, using the Burl’s Kids program to bring underprivileged children to University of Arkansas and Indianapolis Colts football games. If it meant bringing a basket of baseballs to the park so he could work on his hitting and pitching, I wanted to be there. I go straight to the sports and see if any scholarships were offered. When we got back home to Harrison, the day of the draft was just filled with anxiety. And I could see a little white car parked in her driveway. 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. It had this outdoor patio that you could stand on and look down on the field. She called me just before six o’clock, with panic and worry in her voice. If it’s difficult to describe the love for a brother, it’s impossible to explain the loss of a brother. “I want him here, but he’ll know and we’ll know.”, “Coach, don’t worry about it.
Burlsworth, 22, died 10 days after his selection on April 28, 1999, in a car crash in Arkansas. Carrolton (AP) - Former Arkansas offensive guard BRANDON BURLSWORTH died in a car crash as he headed home to Harrison from Fayetteville, officials said. But now that my own boys are older, if they’re even ten minutes late, I get a little concerned and think that maybe they’re in trouble, maybe something went wrong. He was a Razorback. It’ll be real cool.”. And I’ll get a photo of you in your uniform. And the only thing bigger than high school football in Harrison — or anywhere else in Arkansas — is Razorback football. But Brandon would stay on campus, working — painting the stadium, setting up dorms, things like that — and taking classes. And I couldn’t wait to be right there with him. Brandon did not get married before he passed away when he was only twenty-two years old. We drove it to death. But I didn’t have that natural talent. And would you believe it, it was the Indianapolis Colts who took him. We’d been to a couple of Razorbacks games before, and Brandon had seen the stadium and sat in the stands. The average salary of American animal trainer is more than $25k and he also gets paid around this figure. He took my call, but I couldn’t tell just how interested he was. Brandon Burlsworth was not perfect. But almost every boy growing up in the state wants to be a Razorback. Drafted by the Colts in the 3rd round of the 1999 draft. For the next three years, Brandon started for the Razorbacks. Mom and I picked him up at the airport when he came home. Greater, a film depicting the life and tragic death of Brandon Burlsworth will be released in theaters on August 26th. 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. And I didn’t want him to always be wondering what could have been. In a few weeks he’d be heading back. I wanted everything for Brandon, and within a few moments, it had all been taken away. Brandon Burlsworth was the former All-American offensive lineman for the Arkansas Razorbacks. It was my dream, too, and I sure worked hard at it. So Mom, Brandon and I piled into my minivan and we drove over to Fayetteville. "The last thing Brandon said to me was, 'Mom, I love you,'" says Barbara. As we walked by one of the pro shops, we joked to each other. 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. The school was going to give Brandon a scholarship. People were swinging by all day. . And when it’s Friday night here in Harrison and the whole town is at the football game, I think about Brandon. By his senior year, Brandon was an all-conference and all-state player and played in the state’s All-Star Game. And that spring, the Burls boys found themselves in Indianapolis at the combine. He called to check in a couple of times. But that summer Brandon had two things going for him: His work ethic and, luckily, a pretty big growth spurt. One At halftime of the team's season-opener against Buffalo, Colts owners Jim and Meg Irsay presented Burlsworth's family and Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles with checks for $5,000 each. I don’t even think he played one game. One weekend when I was driving with Brandon to campus — I think maybe it was his junior year — a thought crossed my mind. Two buses of Razorbacks players arrived. I think Brandon would be proud of the work we’re doing in his name. The project took more than a decade and cost millions of dollars. He was determined to drive home the same day so he could attend evening church service with the family. He said he wanted to hold football camps and bring kids to his NFL games. I tried bringing it up to him again. So when Brandon got it in his mind that he was going to be a Razorback, I was all in. And every week he was right on time with his little white Subaru parked in Mom’s driveway. The football fraternity had … After his death, Burlsworth's #77 became only the second retired number in Razorback football history. Brandon Burlsworth, NFL player. We probably put 30,000 miles on my minivan each season. We had to have the funeral at the high school gym. The Olympic Gold Medalist shines light on her Hispanic heritage fueling her career. Finally, in the third round Brandon answered the phone and gave us the thumbs-up. He spent as many days as he could in the weight room getting stronger. I can only hope I did as much as I could to help him. But Arkansas was the dream. Just thought I would share the trailer for the Brandon Burlsworth movie coming out this month. He graduated last December, in just 4-1/2 years, with a master's degree in business administration. Seattle Mariners pitcher Mark Leiter denied allegations But I knew we still needed a scholarship. Brandon Vaughn Burlsworth (September 20, 1976 – April 28, 1999) was an offensive lineman for the Arkansas Razorbacks football team from 1995 to 1998. Some of his teammates have since told me how red his face would be during practice, how hard he went, how he never gave up. He was my brother and I just wanted everything for him. check will go to Burlsworth's former high school for its scholarship fund and the other was presented to Arkansas, his alma mater. After the season, over the holidays, we got a call. So a few months after his death, we started the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation, where we do all of that and more. But I’d do anything for that kid. We suddenly needed that gear, because we would be rooting for the Colts.
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