Brandon Burlsworth was born September 20th, 1976 in Harrison, Arkansas. He graduated from Harrison High School and was a recruited walk-on football player at the University of Arkansas. His awards and his many accolades are numerous but among them are earning a scholarship the first year. He was awarded the All-SEC offensive guard in 1997 and 1998, all conference honors and named 1st team All-American.
Brandon became the first Arkansas Razorback football player to complete a master's degree before playing his final game. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the third round of the draft. Tragically, at the age of 22, 11 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. 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.
He had planned to help underprivileged children and the Burlsworth family established the foundation that fall in his honor. Then, Arkansas Razorback Coach, Houston Nutt started the saying after his death, "Do it the Burls Way", a saying that meant 'do it the right way, even when no one is looking'. The slogan is now our motto.
In 2001, the book "Eyes of a Champion, the Brandon Burlsworth Story" by Jeff Kinley was released. A movie about Brandon's life with the working title "Greater" was filmed in 2013 and was released as a major motion picture on August 26, 2016. It was written and produced by Brian Reindl and David Hunt.
