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