USA TODAY International Edition
BURLSWORTH WALKED ON AND INSPIRED
Arkansas lineman’s life explored in new movie ‘ GREATER’
In 1999, Indianapolis Colts offensive line coach Howard Mudd was in the market for an offensive lineman. Heading into that year’s NFL draft, the veteran coach sought out the best of the entering college linemen by attending the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.
Mudd didn’t have to look for very long, as the first player he set eyes on was Brandon Burlsworth. The Colts organization drafted Burlsworth that year, and though he had been a first- team AllAmerican at Arkansas his senior season, Burlsworth was a player Mudd thought could handle more challenges than most rookies.
“I said, ‘ Brandon, are you ready to run through the goal post the first day of the season? That means you start,’ ” Mudd recalled. “And he said, ‘ Yes, sir.’ I said, ‘ Well, Brandon, you know, you don’t have to call me that. My name is Howard, you can start calling me Howard. You’re in the adult world now. You can call me by my first name.’ He said, ‘ Sir, yes, sir.’
“Those were the last words I said to him.”
On Friday GREATER, opens in theaters and dives into the unique story of Burlsworth, who many believe was the greatest walk- on tale of all time. The allSoutheastern Conference product who died in an automobile crash shortly after the Colts drafted him, was the product of hard work and dedication throughout his short lifetime.
After a growth spurt between his sophomore and junior years of high school, Burlsworth put everything he had into the sport. “( Brandon) buckled down and started living in that weight room and worked his way up to really becoming a good high school player,” said his brother Marty.
Burlsworth, from Harrison, Ark., held scholarship offers from a number of smaller universities and was an all- state selection his senior year. He held his own against players who were being actively recruited by the school he really wanted to attend, the University of Arkansas, according to his brother.
Burlsworth impressed the Razorbacks staff enough to be an invited walk- on — meaning Arkansas wanted him on the team, but not enough to offer a scholarship — but there still wasn’t much hope for him in terms of playing time. But Burlsworth wanted more, and he earned it.
It wasn’t by accident, as he might have been the hardestworking player to make his way through Arkansas’ program, according to former Razorbacks coach Houston Nutt, who once found Burlsworth working on the practice field after a bad team practice that same day.
“We come out around 9: 309: 45 at night, and you can tell somebody was on the turf. Somebody is moving their feet and running and jumping; we didn’t know what was going on,” Nutt said. “So we walk over there, and sure enough, it’s Brandon Burlsworth. We said, ‘ Brandon, what in the world are you doing?’ He said, ‘ Coach, I didn’t have a good practice today, I just wanted to make sure my steps were right. I want to make sure I do my part.’ ”
That work ethic caught the attention of NFL personnel.
“He jumped right out at me as the kind of player that ( the Colts) wanted,” Mudd continued. “He was a perfect fit, in terms of personal characteristics and his playing style of what we wanted.”
Just days after being drafted by the Colts, Brandon was thrust into the fire at one of the team’s minicamps, where Mudd decided to test his highly coveted rookie. In a one- on- one drill against Indy’s 1995 first- round pick Ellis Johnson, whom Mudd described as “slippery,” Brandon excelled.
“I was beyond impressed, very impressed,” Mudd said. “He fit perfectly with the way I liked a guy to play. And in fact, he was the kind of player that was so coachable that you better not tell him the wrong thing because he’s gonna do exactly what you tell him.”
Mudd said he bragged about his offensive lineman to his wife at home and said he resembled Drew Carey in the face. That same night, April 28, Mudd received a call from a newspaper reporter, asking, “Have you heard about Brandon Burlsworth?”
Burlsworth had been killed in a crash while driving back to his hometown after a workout. Eleven days after being drafted, Burlsworth was gone.
In his memory, Arkansas retired his No. 77 jersey and the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation was established. In 2010 the foundation began awarding the Burlsworth Trophy, given annually to the best player in college football who began his career as a walk- on. And now there is GREATER.
“Do it the Burls Way,” Nutt said. “He does what’s right when nobody’s looking. He does what’s right, whether it be on the turf when nobody’s there, going through the steps or when there’s 100,000 people in the stadium. You can count on Brandon to do it the Burls Way; he was nothing but 100%.”