20 Facts About Brandon Burlsworth

Brandon Vaughn Burlsworth was an American football player who was an offensive lineman of the Arkansas Razorbacks football team from 1995 to 1998.

Brandon Burlsworth initially joined the team as a walk-on, eventually earning a scholarship and would later become an All-American.

Brandon Burlsworth graduated in 1994 from Harrison High School, where he was an All-State selection, and volunteered as a walk-on football player to the University of Arkansas, despite having scholarship offers from smaller universities.

Brandon Burlsworth's efforts earned him first-team All-SEC honors in 1997 and 1998, and he was selected for the 1998 College Football All-America Team.

Brandon Burlsworth was Arkansas's first All-American player since 1993 and their first player selected to a first-team squad since 1989.

Brandon Burlsworth was named to the All-SEC Academic Honor Roll every year from 1995 to 1998.

Brandon Burlsworth played on two SEC Western Division championship Razorback football teams.

Brandon Burlsworth was the first Razorback football player to complete a master's degree before playing in his final game, the 1999 Citrus Bowl.

At the combine, Brandon Burlsworth topped all linemen with a 4.88 40-yard dash.

Brandon Burlsworth bench-pressed 225 pounds 28 times, weighed 308 pounds, and measured slightly below 6 feet 4 inches.

Brandon Burlsworth was elected to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, and the University of Arkansas Letterman's Association Hall of Honor in 2004.

Eleven days after being drafted, Brandon Burlsworth was killed in a car accident near Alpena, Arkansas, on April 28,1999, on his way back to his hometown of Harrison after a workout in Fayetteville.

Brandon Burlsworth's vehicle clipped an oncoming 18-wheeler, swerved back into his lane, and then hit another tractor trailer head on.

Today, through the Burls Kids program, the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation provides underprivileged youths with a chance to attend Razorback and Colts football games.

The children are given an official "Burls Kid" T-shirt and replica glasses similar to those Brandon Burlsworth wore on the field.

Each year the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation gives out several awards and scholarships at various school levels.

Those players receive a plaque and a copy of "Through the Eyes of A Champion, the Brandon Burlsworth Story," autographed by Brandon's mother, Barbara Burlsworth.

The Brandon Burlsworth Award is given out yearly to one male and one female athlete at Harrison High School and the University of Arkansas who best exemplify the strength of character and work ethic known as "The Burls Way".

In 2010, the Brandon Burlsworth Trophy was created and named in his honor.

In 2001, the book Through the Eyes of a Champion: The Brandon Burlsworth Story, written by Jeff Kinley, was released.