I had the opportunity to work on an awesome project at work the past couple of weeks - the announcement of the Burlsworth Trophy.
The Burlsworth Trophy is the second national collegiate football award to come out of Arkansas and the first ever that honors a walk-on. The media are calling it the "Heisman for Walk-Ons." 
The trophy is named in honor of Brandon Burlsworth who was a walk-on at Arkansas and eventually worked his way to become a scholarship starter and All-American. He was drafted in the first round of the 1999 draft but was tragically killed in a car accident 11 days later.
Brandon Burlsworth
When the Burlsworth Foundation approached Elise and Mitchell Communications, she automatically assigned me to the project because of my background with the Arkansas Sports Information Department. I have to say this was one of the most fun things I have worked on to date. Since the press conference was held at the UofA I got to work with all my old colleagues at SID and I was pitching to all the sports media who I use to work with. It was great to catch up with everybody. 
L to R: Jeff Long, Frank Broyles, Ken Hatfield, Danny Ford
There were about 100 people at the announcement and unveiling of the trophy including media from NWA and Little Rock. I was also among Arkansas football legends - Frank Broyles, Ken Hatfield, Danny Ford and Jim Lindsey were all speakers at the press conference. The unveiling announcment appeared on ESPN.com, CBSSports.com and many other national websites. In my opinion - a success!
Brandon's Mom and brother, Marty, unveiled the trophy
I worked closely with the Burlsworth family and got to know a lot about Brandon. He was an amanzing person and they are so honored to have this trophy named after him. I also heard that there is even a movie being made about his life and football career. How exciting!
The Burlsworth Foundaiton is an amanzing organization that supports the physical and spirital needs of children. Read more about the Foundation and Brandon's amanzing life here.
Come back in February to see who the first recipient of the Burlsworth Trophy is!
1 comment:
That's awesome, Meredith! Jerry always tried to model his work ethic after Brandon. Did you know that Jerry's football scholarship was the first ever "Brandon Burlsworth" football scholarship? He got that his Sophomore year, I believe. We got to meet all of Brandon's family before the ceremony, and they are all SO nice!
Congrats! This was obviously a huge success! We could all learn a thing or two about perserverance and work ethic from Brandon.
Post a Comment