Through the Eyes of a Champion: The Brandon Burlsworth Story

Jeff Kinley

New Leaf Press, 2001

Most folks who follow Arkansas Razorback sports probably remember turning on the news the evening of April 28, 1999, or opening up their newspapers the next morning to find out about a tragic automobile accident that had claimed the life of former Razorback and soon- to-be Indianapolis Colts football player Brandon Burlsworth. The next few days brought forth an outpouring of grief from all parts of the state as people remembered and paid tribute to one of the most beloved Razorback athletes in recent memory.

In the weeks and months following Brandon's death, his family were touched by the stories others shared with them about how Brandon's life had inspired or touched them in some way. They decided that his story should be told, and this book is the result.

Through the Eyes of a Champion, though its subject is an All-American athlete, is much more than a sports story, and potential readers who aren't especially football fans shouldn't shy away from reading it. Sports is not the central theme of this book. It is first and foremost the story of a young man, not particularly gifted physically, who became a champion, an All-American, by combining hard work with determination and desire. Brandon Burlsworth was living proof of the exhortation we so often give our children: "If you want something badly enough and are willing to work hard enough, you can make your dreams come true." It happened that Brandon's efforts were focused on athletics, but any young person with a dream could use his life as an example.

The book begins with the day of Brandon's fatal accident and then goes back to the beginning. The author focuses on the people who molded Brandon and influenced him, from his mother and brothers to his youth minister, a special teacher, his high school football coach and his best friends. Of course, since he was an athlete and most of his life, especially the last few years, revolved around football, Brandon's story must rightfully include sports. However, it's not a game play-by-play sort of thing, full of statistics and gridiron trivia. There are anecdotes about players and coaches, to be sure, but the emphasis is on relationships. The author never veers from the path of emphasizing his subject's character and the people and experiences that helped him develop, all without holding him up as a model of perfection. The faults as well as the good points are included.

Central to Brandon's life was his faith in God and his relationship with Jesus. In fact, he passed up a team meeting with the Razorbacks in which they were to receive their SEC Western Division Championship rings because he had promised his mom he would drive home to Harrison to go to church with her on that Wednesday evening. It was on that drive that Brandon was involved in the accident that took his life.

As I read this book, I couldn't help but make comparisons to some of the young athletes in the news right now. I thought about LeBron James, the high school basketball player who'll go directly into the NBA and is already being touted as one of the best players ever. No doubt LeBron James has far more God-given athletic talent than Brandon Burlsworth had. He'll be a multi-millionaire before he ever plays a professional game. Some might say that he's had a pretty good start in life. Somehow, though, I think he's probably starting out way behind the boy from Harrison, Arkansas, the Razorback walk-on who had to earn his scholarship and everything else he achieved by doing things "the Burls way."

I would recommend this book to anyone junior high age and up.

Linda Simon

 

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