Faith Filled Family Magazine September 2016 | Page 10

NOT GOOD ENOUGH TURNED TO “GREATER” Interview with Marty Burlsworth By Vernita Simmons In this classic film, “Greater” with a message that is inspired by Brandon Burlsworth, who is perhaps the greatest walk-on in the history of college football. Brandon dreamed of playing for the Arkansas Razorbacks, but was told he wasn’t ‘good enough’ to play Division I ball. Undeterred, Brandon took a risk and walked on in 1994. Written off by fellow teammates and coaches, Brandon displayed dogged determination in the face of staggering odds. The awkward kid, who once was an embarrassment to his teammates and an annoyance to his coaches, ended up becoming the most respected player in the history of the program, changing the lives of all he touched. . Welcome, Marty Burlsworth. It is both an honor and a delight to have you join us at Faith Filled Family Magazine. And I enjoyed our conversation immensely. Now, Marty, Brandon was your younger brother. Tell us, what was it like growing up with Brandon? And when the family received the news regarding making a movie about Brandon, what was that like? Brandon was the typical rowdy young boy. My mom was a single mom, so I coached Brandon in most of his sports. He was always a good kid, but as he matured he developed a great work ethic and a love for the game. Right after the accident, Sports Illustrated did a 7 page article on him. From that point on, we were approached by many Hollywood writers. But they all wanted to change it to fit their mold to make the story more “interesting”. We couldn’t allow that. We felt the story was powerful without adding to it. Brian Reindl was the first one who came to us with