MB: After we started receiving calls from Hollywood producers, we knew that if the story were told, we wanted it to be told in the most accurate way possible, understanding that its difficult to squeeze 15 years into two hours. CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. As recorded on the Colts official website, Burlsworth was driving home to Harrison, Arkansas in April 1999; he wanted to head home, have dinner with his mother, Barbara, and attend a Wednesday night church service. The lineman, however, would never arrive. "We were in need of finding a guard to shore up the line. We were impressed with the "guy with the horned-rimmed glasses that looked like Drew Carey." He hosts an SEC radio show out of Chattanooga and covers the SEC for Saturday Down South. However, the player some consider the best walk-on in college football history was tragically killed in a car accident just 11 days later. "I remember he was the first college lineman I looked at on video that year," said Howard Mudd, then the Colts' line coach and one of the game's best ever. Under the organizations umbrella, there are multiple programs. "He stayed around the house and left for Fayetteville on Tuesday," Vickie says. He declined both, insisting instead on joining the Razorbacks as a walk-on. The program provides free exams and glasses for up to 1,000 preschool-through-12th grade students in Arkansas, and there are plans to take it nationwide. ESPN College GameDay 8-31-19 #WeTrust pic.twitter.com/x3UCtOjLLf, Burlsworth Trophy (@BurlsworthTrust) August 29, 2019. He was made to do it. His truck collided with an approaching 18-wheeler causing him to veer into his lane then he crashed with another tractor-trailer head-on. https://t.co/UV3TEAGddV, Danielle Lerner (@danielle_lerner) August 29, 2019, @espn Amazing photo and article. Today, The University of Arkansas has created an endowment in Brandon's name. The offensive guard had been named an All-American and a two-time All-SEC First Team player. After minicamp, he was projected by his coaches to start as a rookie. Marty Burlsworth, Chairman/CEO and founder of the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation, is a resident of Harrison, Arkansas. I think about that all the time.. We have a saying in our family, said Marty Burlsworth. The story of Brandon Burlsworth is one of the most amazing in football history. He earned first-team All-SEC honors in 1997 and 1998; he was also named a first-team All-American during the 1998 campaign. Gainey Coach Ford Wayne Duvall Pastor Rick Mark Dobies Coach Nutt Grant Cook Grant Garrett Josh Emerson Nathan Ward Ethan Waller Young Brandon Todd Julian ", "He literally kept his goal focused right behind his nose through his college career.". By what name was Greater (2016) officially released in India in English? Hollywood keeps making movies about superheroes and people who arent heroes at all, but here is a real life hero that my kids can look up to.. It was one of those games where we always thought we were going to win, Ratliff said. They came to town to interview everyone and get photographs for the magazine. Eyes of a Champion, for example, helps provide free vision exams and glasses to low to moderate income, uninsured children. Burls Kids, which operates in both Arkansas and Indianapolis, brings children to football games and provides them with an unforgettable experience. He inspires people. Also not included in the film is that Brandon and Marty also have a brother named Grady. Carrolton ap former arkansas offensive guard brandon burlsworth died in a car crash as he headed home to harrison from fayetteville officials said. Weve got to throw it. I said No, were going to run it every down and we ran the football right down their throat.. After working 11 years on his Brandon Burlsworth biopic Greater, Reindl is within days of seeing his dream project open on 400 to 450 screens across the Southeast, Midwest and Southwest next week.. Burlsworth was an All-American football player for the University of Arkansas, who died tragically in an automobile . 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. Burlsworth tragically lost his life in a car accident April 28, 1999, going from Fayetteville to a Wednesday night church service in his hometown of Harrison. Throughout his football career, Brandon Burlsworth never let adversity stop him from achieving his goals. Q: What was the relationship like between your brother and folks from Arkansas? 77 retired. The magazine did an extensive eight-page piece on him. Brandon Burlsworth death scene What was Brandon Burlsworth's death scene like? Do it the Burls way: Have character. That was Brandons example He could have thought of himself as a big star, but he was guided by his faith and love for his family., The Link Network is a product of the Department of Communication at Harding University. FIFA World Cup - Best Goals from Every Angle, Draw for the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023, FOX SPORTS, SPEED, SPEED.COM & 2023 Fox Media LLC and Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. Brandon doesn't start out with all . At the end of summer, he weighed 311 pounds, yet the draft hopeful could dunk a basketball with both hands from a standing start. After his death, Burlsworth's #77 became only the second retired number in Razorback football history. Had he joined the Indianapolis Colts, Brandon Burlsworth probably would have made quite the impact on the football field. After being six feet tall and weighing 200 pounds as a senior at Harrison High School in 1993, Burlsworth grew almost three inches and added 30 pounds by the following spring. Burlsworth first caught the eye of Mudd at the Senior Bowl, just prior to the Combine. Steichen called plays for the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. They were winning the whole game, really. He was on his way back to Harrison, his hometown, following a workout in Fayetteville. He was more assertive than most of the other linemen at the practices. Without one D1 scholarship offer, Brandon Burlsworth walked on at the University of Arkansas in 1994. Two collisions followed, and the life of a wonderful human with vast talents was over., Jerry Jones Had a Number of Hall of Fame Teammates and Coaches at Arkansas, Including Jimmy Johnson. Dave Hooker started covering Tennessee in 1998. He was the first pick in the third round, the 63rd overall selection. Burlsworth was killed in a car accident near Alpena, Arkansas, on April 28, 1999, on . If its difficult to describe the love for a brother its impossible to explain the loss of a brother. Former Arkansas football player and Indianapolis Colts draft pick Brandon Burlsworth died Wednesday in a car crash while travelling to his home, state police said. [2] Death Eleven days after being drafted, he was killed in a car accident near Alpena, Arkansas on his way back to his hometown of Harrison one night after a workout in Fayetteville. Brandon vaughn burlsworth 1976 1999 find a grave memorial. Q: When did you realize Brandons story was going to be something that could resonate with people far beyond just Razorback fans? I was high as a kite. "I just wished I'd had the opportunity to have been part of his development. The more the "farmer" talked to Marty about faith and religion and making him doubt the more detailed it became. Please read our Terms of Use or contact us. While he received some offers from smaller schools, Burlsworth wanted to go to the University of Arkansas and play for the Razorbacks. Unfortunately, Brandon was tragically killed in a head-on automobile collision just 11 days after the draft." Tragically, at the age of 22, 10 days after the draft, he was killed in a car accident on April 28th, 1999 while on his way home from the University of Arkansas to attend church with his mom. Mock Draft Monday, our weekly roundup of experts' predictions for who the Colts will take in the NFL Draft, is back a week after the Colts named Shane Steichen head coach. It was an interesting set of play calls for Cutcliffe, who is widely considered a quarterback and passing game guru. "If God ever made the perfect person, it was that guy," said then teammate Sacha Lancaster to Sport Illustrated. 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. Administration enforces faculty reductions to rightsize Larger than life: Family, friends, co-workers Student Health Services offers nurse practitioner, Bison basketball teams drive season further, Police investigate apartment shootings in Searcy, New shopping opportunities come to Searcy. University announces student survey results, new Track construction nearly complete, ready to Whataburger celebrates beginning construction on Searcy Harding hosts Arkansas National History Day Students visit historic Little Rock Central Students plan to attend upcoming mission ASI continues distinguished lecture series with Harding to host annual womens conference, Breaking out: University introduces breakout chapels, Construction on Berryhill Park courts continues. Hewalked on at Arkansas in 1994 after having zero FBS scholarship offers and eventually became team captain and a two-time All-SEC pick. 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. Mock Draft Monday, our weekly roundup of experts' predictions for who the Colts will take in the NFL Draft, is back with the NFL Combine getting underway in Indianapolis this week. However, every time he thinks of the fumble, its hard not to think of Burlsworth. Mike Masterson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. You want to just tell the story as if no one had ever heard it before. All rights reserved. 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. Brandon burlsworth accident report BURLSWORTH KILLED IN CRASH. '"I told him how much it would mean to them to receive that message from him.". Burlsworth was killed in a car accident in 1999 after being drafted . "I still believe he'd have had become one of the better guards in the NFL," said Mudd. He made himself into a player by just working harder than everyone else. Burlsworth was a walk-on offensive lineman at the University of Arkansas who, throughout his career at Arkansas, went from being a red-shirt out-of-shape freshman to a player that the Indianapolis Colts would draft. The Arkansas win did more than preserve the Vols perfect record. Brandon was on his way home from the university of arkansas to pick up his mother and attend church when the accident happened 11. In his junior year, he split time with a senior on the offensive line for half the season and then became the full-time starter. Another trait that set Brandon apart was his respectful devotion to doing whatever authority figures asked of him. After Burslworths death, those close to him created the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation; according to the foundations website, the Christian organizations mission is to support the physical and spiritual needs of children, in particular those who have limited opportunities. The boy was almost 6-foot-4 and tipped the scales at more than 300 pounds. On Friday, Aug. 26, the movie "GREATER" will be released in theaters. As UTs defense tried to hold on, quarterback Tee Martin and UT offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe were devising a drive in which theyd have very little time left if they got the ball back at all. Thats where things were headed as Arkansas quarterback Clint Stoerner lined up under center on second down with just 1:47 left on the clock. Every place starts with a cadence and ends with a whistle. Q: How important for you was it that this movie get made? But that same night, April 28, Mudd received a phone call from a newspaper reporter, asking him, "Have you heard about Brandon Burlsworth?" Burlsworth had been killed in a car accident. It's an image of how the "farmer" was capturing Marty's soul and he was becoming the "farmers". You want to hear from the pertinent voices, the people that were closely involved and related to Brandon played with him, coached him and raised him. Director David Hunt (from left) poses Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016, with producer Brian Reindl, and Marty Burlsworth, brother of Brandon Burlsworth, during a red carpet event ahead of the premiere. Ratliff saw both luck and destiny in the play that would make him a Tennessee football folk hero. This book is the inspiring biography of a local boy who makes good. His brother, Marty, and their mother, Barbara, met him at the airport in Springfield. Tice, now the athletic director for Huntsville, said he's never donned another helmet. Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. He was a gentle giant with an instinct to win. "As time goes on, you deal with the hurt. That 'what ifs' never really go away," said Marty. "We're life-long Colts fans, always will be. In The Walk-on, which airs Saturday, College GameDay celebrates the annual ceremony of a walk-on player being rewarded with a scholarship by looking back at Burlsworths impact at Arkansas 25 years ago. But Arkansas was the dream. He had fresh legs and blew up the play., After the Arkansas game, we knew that was our moment.. As of the 2020 census the population stood at 128. Burlsworth was so much about the right stuff that his dorm bed never was unmade. With a 3.4 grade point average, he earned bachelor's (marketing management) and master's (business administration) degrees at Arkansas before playing his final game. I really felt like that game built character in our team because for the first time, we felt the feeling of defeat and that was a feeling we didnt want to have anymore.. Brandon burlsworth was the former all american offensive lineman for the arkansas razorbacks. He just never sought the limelight. They award eighteen $5,000 academic scholarships, and one $10,000 Walk-0n athletic scholarship each year. Hes in college at Georgia Southern. We dont know why, but we do know that we will see him again. MB: We want them to know that bad things can and will happen. The lineman had returned from the Colts' weekend minicamp. He loved the kids, Marty Burlsworth said. Stoerner tried to balance himself with right hand. Greater misses key fact. Burlsworth was selected as the 63rd overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1999 NFL draft, but was tragically killed in a car accident 11 days later. As spelled out in an ESPN college football video, Burlsworth was never the most athletic guy; during high school, he was slow, soft, and didnt see significant playing time until his junior year. died in a car crash 11 days after . While you might not know his name, Brandon Burlsworth and his college football career deserve to be at the top of the list. Cast [ edit] What you do in between, determines your legacy, so make sure you give it everything you've got until you hear that whistle. In this 1999 photo, the locker of Brandon Burlsworth is seen encased in glass in the locker room at the University of Arkansas. Its very possible the two would have had many more epic battles in the NFL. Burlsworth was killed 15 miles from home on a road he had traveled for years when his car drifted into the on-coming lane, the write-up continued. (Zac Budman/ESPN), Marty Burlsworth, brother of the late Brandon Burlsworth, is interviewed. You can say that if you werent a part of it and you didnt see what I saw. "There are people in the organization we feel close to. I'm still asked by people in Harrison about the Colts, and I tell them about our close relationship to this day. Arkansas is impressed with the Colts, no doubt about that.". Its namesake was an Arkansas offensive lineman from 1995 to 1998. 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After his two weeks in Indianapolis, Brandon flew home on April 18, 1999, a Sunday. https://t.co/FFBoin68fO, Subscribe to our newsletter to get daily updates, Tom Rinaldi interviews Barbara Burlsworth, mother of the late Brandon Burlsworth. Ratliff and Burlsworth will always be linked by the Arkansas fumble. He walked onto the team and, despite spending a season as a redshirt on the scout team, proved his worth; ahead of his sophomore year, the offensive lineman had earned a scholarship. I asked Barbara about what her son's faith meant to him. We reviewed several different scripts over the years, and we also reviewed any revisions that were made of significance. "The connection with the Colts now is just what we want it to be. It's almost like it was at Arkansas," said Marty. "When you go on their campus, it feels like family because we know so many people. It feels that way with the Colts. You can see through the movie that the way he lived his life and how his family reacted answers the question of what to do when these things happen.. More than. That has to be the bittersweet part for Ratliff. "No problem, I'm used to it," quipped Burlsworth, who popped the lens of his eyeglasses out and smiled away. He was already something special, but it would have been something else had he not gone through the injuries he did.. The family picked Brandon up at the airport after the rookie camp. He was sore from the work, but expressed comfort with his teammates and the size of Indianapolis. You take the ball and drive it and run almost the same play, sometimes right, sometimes left, but basically the same play and run it down their throat and win the game and dont leave hardly any time on the clock. They added that they hope the movie raises awareness for what they are trying to do with their foundation and helps make the Burlsworth name synonymous with strong character. While his tragic death may have ended his football career, it didnt stop the linemans ability to change the world. That was a caused fumble. The struggles that he had gone through to get where he was were over. His story is the subject of movie that debuts Friday calledGreater.. Coleman recalled seeing Ratliff, who was over 300 pounds, dunk a basketball with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. ", Tammy and Danny Roth of Harrison were friends of the Burlsworths. "He'd be completely blown away by all this attention focused on him. Brandon Burlsworth was killed in an automobile accident near Alpena, Arkansas, on April 28, 1999. Request more info or view our 3D Seat Viewer below! Ratliff replaced fellow defensive lineman Jeff Coleman, who was suffering from cramps on the sideline when Ratliffe made history. It was a crazy play. History happened, he said. In the short time Brandon was on this earth he left a legacy and a positive role model that will be remembered long after we are gone. I think about it all the time. A mother losing a child at that young age, it was tough. Burlsworth, who began his college career as a pudgy walk-on and became a standout offensive lineman for the Razorbacks, was killed in a traffic accident April 28 while driving from the campus to his family's home. The other producers couldnt guarantee just how accurate the depiction would be. That Burlsworth was in the accident was completely like the unselfish person who established a cult following while a Razorback. Miranda Valles, 21, died in a motorcycle accident over the weekend on I-290. Brandon Burlsworth went from freshman walk-on to an All-American at Arkansas before being the Colts' third-round pick in 1999. 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. MB: Shortly after the accident, we got a call from a national magazine. During his junior and senior years, his work ethic and focus really kicked in. Midnight Madness kicks off basketball season, Social clubs prepare for Homecoming Parade, James Huff receives another research grant. He died in a car crash on april 28 1999 shortly after he was drafted by the nfls indianapolis colts. Although he never played a down in the NFL, he had impressed Mudd enough during mini-camp that. All rights reserved. The youth center in Harrison, Arkansas . She smiles when she sees the many thousands of children and others who've benefited enormously from the charitable Brandon Burlsworth Foundation and from his once having lived a blessed and honorable life among us. He definitely was, Coleman said. I, for one, didnt know about it, and anyone Ive talked about it with didnt either, so I dont think you try to get too outside the box in your thinking. Good fortune was certainly on the Vols side against Arkansas. See production, box office & company info, Well-done and inspiring faith-based movie, Mike & Mike: Episode dated 23 August 2016. 'Burls Kids' is a program where youngsters attend Colts and Razorbacks games, and the foundation conducts camps and prep football awards. Think about how much it must have hurt Russell to keep this secret, and how much he's risking by coming out now while trying to revive his NFL career. Tice also told of a time when he'd become agitated with another lineman during practice and told the team to watch. Brandon was elected to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 and the UA Letterman's Association Hall of Honor in 2004. He made close friends with Ed Robinson, who was a bit older. After his rise to prominence at Arkansas, Brandon Burlsworth seemed poised to make the leap to the NFL.