FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – If life was free of tragedies, then we’d probably all remember Brandon Burlsworth as the offensive lineman who protected Peyton Manning during his stellar career with the Indianapolis Colts.
Burlsworth, though, died in a head-on car crash 11 days after being drafted by the Colts in the spring of 1999, cutting short a football career that had shown great promise during his senior year with Arkansas when he earned All-American and All-SEC honors.
But today, Burlsworth is remembered not for what he didn’t accomplish but for what he did achieve – such as being drafted by an NFL team despite starting his collegiate career as a walk-on. Some even consider him the best walk-on in the history of the game.
A new movie out on DVD – Greater (PG) – follows his story, from his days as a chubby couch potato kid, to his years in high school and college where he practiced a work ethic and dogged determination that few around him had seen. Greater stars Neal McDonough (Band of Brothers, Captain America: The First Avenger) as his brother, Marty.
Burlsworth also was a committed Christian who stood up for his beliefs and refused to join the party lifestyle. The movie shows him praying and reading his Bible and even carrying around a copy of The Pilgrim’s Progress.
“He always kept God first,” Marty told SCENES.
Beginning in 2010, the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation began awarding the Burlsworth Trophy to the most outstanding college football player who began his career as a walk-on.
During his senior season, Brandon was involved in one of the more memorable plays in college football history – a play Razorback fans would rather forget. With No. 10 Arkansas leading No. 1 Tennessee 24-22 and trying to run out the clock in the final two minutes, Razorback quarterback Clint Stoerner tripped over Burlsworth’s foot and fumbled the ball, and a Tennessee player fell on it. The Vols scored and won the game, and then went on to win the national championship. The game plays a small-but-prominent role in the film.
Marty Burlsworth was on the sidelines during the game, taking pictures.
“I remember standing beside a reporter toward the end of the game and he said, ‘When’s the last time you remember Arkansas having a win this big?’ And then I looked and the ball was on the ground. It was just surreal,” Marty said. “But Brandon handled it like he did anything else. When others had their head down, Brandon always kept his head up and stayed after it. He certainly felt terrible about it, but that’s just the way things happen. His attitude was: Take responsibility, let’s move on and see if we can get the next one.
“I know he leaned on his faith heavily [after the game]. How terrible would it be to not have your faith in a situation like that – with the country watching, a national broadcast with the No. 1 team in the nation? And everybody saw it. It was a gut punch.”
Greater is among the best sports movies I’ve ever seen – and I’m not ashamed to say I shed a few tears at the end.
Greater is rated PG for thematic elements, some language and smoking. It contains no sexuality.
Follow Michael Foust on Twitter: @MichaelFoust
