Burlsworth Foundation: The Champion No One Expected

Vickie smiled as her back door opened and the 6’3”, 308 lb frame darkened her door. Brandon had just come home from college. He didn’t live there, but the Bursworths were a tight-knit family.  He had been only six years old when she married his big brother, Marty. 

She greeted him and asked him if he was hungry.  He usually was. They chatted about how college was going.  “You’re getting so handsome!” she remarked and watched with amusement as he started to turn pink. For such a big guy, he had an incredibly gentle and Christ-like heart.   He often picked up Brady, her 4-year-old son, from daycare when he was home. They would go to the gym together and blast their favorite songs from the tape deck.  There was a special bond between the huge college football player and Brady, who adored his uncle.  

The Big Brother

Her husband, Marty, was 16 years older than Brandon.  They had made all his games growing up. His and Marty’s first love was baseball, and despite the age difference, they spent many hours playing catch in the yard. 

Brandon was attending the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.  He had always wanted to be a Razorback.  His Sr year of high school football had gotten him noticed by several Division II schools that offered him scholarships.  Unfortunately, no Division I offers and no offer from his dream school, the U of A. 

His Single Mother Takes a Huge Gamble

His mother, Ms. Barbara, a hard-working single Mom who struggled to make ends meet, had taken out a second mortgage on her house so that he could attend.  The catch - she could only do it for one year. He had taken a role as a walk-on.  That meant that he participated in practice and helped the scholarship players train, but he had to pay his own way.  The coach agreed to let them dress out with the team on the last game of the season.  

Hard Work, Perseverance, and Pushing on

Brandon worked hard that first year with the Razorbacks.  His high school success was the result of hard work and the encouragement of Coach Tice, who believed in him.  The doubters told him he’d never play on the college level.  He wasn’t big enough.  So Brandon packed on weight after his senior year of high school football. Unfortunately, most of it was in his belly, making tough practices even tougher.  He roomed with the scholarship players who were laughing at him off the field and kicking his butt on the field. 

Still, Brandon pushed on.  He got up early, read his Bible, prayed, and practiced his heart out when he wasn’t in class.  He never cared for the partying or drinking scene.  Once Brandon made a decision to do something, he took it to the most extreme degree. He poured in everything he had.  He always felt like he should have had a scholarship, and kept pushing.  He wanted it badly. 

Getting Noticed for the "Burls Way"

That’s what made the Arkansas coaches notice him.  Brandon started working and the weight was dropping off now with muscle in its place.  Whatever the coaches told him to do, Brandon threw himself into it with all he had. He did everything with character and gave it all he had, even when no one was looking.  Coach Houston Nutt would later coin this as “The Burls Way.”   

Brandon’s hard work resulted in huge improvements.  His commitments and gentle ways started earning the respect of his roommates and fellow players.  By the end of his freshman year at U of A, he had done what they told him was impossible - he not only earned a football scholarship, he made the academic honor roll.  

Hard Work Pays Off - On and Off the Field

The next three years were marked by numerous accomplishments. He became a starter as a right guard on the offensive line, he was All-SEC, and stayed on the academic honor roll. His senior year he made the college football All-American team, First team All-SEC, Crip Hall Award, and graduated from the University of Arkansas with a Master’s degree.  The first player in history to complete a Masters while still playing football.

Not all Sunshine and Roses

It was not all roses and mountain tops, though. Brandon started having trouble with his eyes.  Things were blurry.  He needed glasses, but since his Mom was barely scraping by, he picked out the cheapest frames he could find.  They were wide-rimmed and black plastic - the definition of “nerdy” for the time. He took quite a bit of ribbing for it from his teammates, but by that time, they were all good friends and he blew it off.  Those cheap glasses became one of his trademarks.  

His Dad, a good person, who had struggled with alcoholism all his life, also passed away during his time in college.  Brandon and Marty prayed around his hospital bed.  Leo apologized for not being there for them growing up, and with his Dad’s death came a sense of grief, but also closure.  

Offer of a Lifetime

Over those four years he had risen from the walk-on everyone laughed at to a greatly respected team captain. On April 17, 1999, the Colts drafted him to play for them in the NFL. 

The whole family celebrated and Vickie and Marty’s dinner table hosted talks about what Brandon wanted to do once he hit the NFL.  First, he wanted to pay his Mom back for the money that she had spent on his first year’s tuition.  Then, he wanted to set up a charity aimed at giving back to underprivileged kids.  It seemed that all of Brandon’s hard work and perseverance were finally being rewarded. 

Tragedy Strikes

Eleven days after the draft, Brandon had not officially signed the contract with the Colts, but he had a very important promise to keep. He had promised to take his Mom to church.  He started the drive back home to Harrison that he had taken so many times before.  

This time was different. 

Brandon never made it home that night. He passed away in an automobile accident on the way home. 

Praying Through a Hard Year

His Mom, Ms. Barbra, Marty, Vickie, and their three boys - felt their hearts shatter that day.  They did the only thing they knew to do -they gave all the broken pieces to God. Vickie sat by Ms. Barbara on the couch. It was late, they’d had a lot of people stop by and everyone had gone home.  It was just them, Marty grabbed their hands and said, “We’re going to pray.” 

The whole town came together, united in their grief and asking God to help them understand. The funeral was attended by so many that it had to be held in the high school gymnasium.  

It was a hard year for the Burlsworth family.  Marty went to the cemetery every day for a year. He felt he had to take care of his little brother.  They talked and cried and prayed, feeling like all their plans had been crushed.  

Brandon's Memory Lives On

But the more Marty and Vickie talked, the more they remembered Brandon’s plans that hatched around their kitchen table.  Marty wanted to make sure that no one ever forgot his little brother, Brandon. Together, in Brandon’s memory, they founded the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation.  

The University of Arkansas retired Brandon’s #77 jersey and encased his locker in glass.  The Harrison Youth Center was renamed The Brandon Burlsworth Youth Center and retired his Harrison High School Goblins jersey #54. The Colts honored him at the opening game of the following NFL season and wore his initials, BB, on their helmets that year. 

Burls Kids

They started “Burls Kids,”  an idea that Brandon himself came up with as a way to give back to underprivileged kids.  Each year, the foundation purchases 30 Razorback game tickets to each Razorback home game for underprivileged children all over the state. Each child is given a replica of Brandon’s #77 jersey that he wore on the field and a replica of Brandon’s signature glasses. They are treated to a special tour of the stadium, including the U of A Hall of Honor, where Brandon’s glass-encased locker is now on display for all to see. The Razorbacks donate concessions for each child and their sponsors and they are seated in a special section reserved for Burls kids and announced during the game. 

Burls Kids is also active in Indianapolis with the Colts.  

Activities and Awards

The foundation also offers half-day football camps for boys and girls ages 7-15, which pair specialized training with an emphasis on character. In 2007, they started partnering with independent optometrists and Walmart vision centers with their “Eyes of a Champion” program, which provides free vision exams and glasses to children ages preschool through twelfth grade who would otherwise go without.  

They give out several awards each year, including:

•  Burlsworth Character Award - given out nationwide in recognition of outstanding character and sportsmanship in high school football

• Brandon Burlsworth State Championship Awards - Honors a player of the game from each team at each Arkansas State Championship for outstanding performance in the game

• Burlsworth Scholars - Up to 18 $5,000 scholarships to students characterized as academic overachievers

• Honorary Burlsworth Athletic Scholar -Given to one University of Arkansas Razorback who began his career as a walk-on player

• Burlsworth Legends Award -presented annually to an Arkansan who has made a significant positive impact on the state

• The Burlsworth Trophy - presented annually to the Most Outstanding player who began his career as a Walk-On.

  
  

Giving Back Creates the Perfect Circle

This giving back creates the perfect circle and leaves a legacy that Marty and Vickie Burlsworth believe Brandon would be proud of.  As they have gone about their work with the foundation, more and more stories have emerged from people who were touched by Brandon’s life. Most of them were quiet, personal things that Brandon didn’t tell anyone else about - like the janitor who asked him to reach out to his son, who was having a hard time with his classmates making fun of him for his glasses.  Instead of a few encouraging lines, Brandon filled an entire college-ruled notebook sheet for a kid he had never met.  That kid, who was now an adult, kept the treasured letter.    

 Brandon’s story has also been made into a movie titled “Greater” and a book entitled “Eyes of a Champion.” SEC Network has an inspiring piece on Brandon titled “True Character”. 

If you’d like to know more about the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation you can find them online at brandonburlsworth.org