A sports movie that caught me off guard recently was “Greater” which is a film about Brandon Burlsworth, who played football for the University of Arkansas back in the 1990s.

I have to admit that somehow I was totally unaware of Burlsworth’s story. After having seen the film, I was muttering to myself, “How could I have missed this when it was happening?”

Burlsworth is known today as the most prominent walkon player in college football history. For those who aren’t sure what a walk-on is -- the term refers to a player who tries out for a team without having been awarded an athletic scholarship. Major college teams sometimes invite players to walk on rather than offering a scholarship. Usually the walk-on washes out in the early stages of practice. Some walk-ons are invited to participate on the taxi (practice) squad, but few ever earn scholarship status.

Back to Burlsworth. He played high school football in Harrison, Ark., where he was a fair-to-middling offensive lineman. His stated goal was to play college football (specifically at the University of Arkansas) and advance to the National Football League, but Arkansas wasn’t interested. He was told he was too small (245 pounds) because as an offensive lineman, he needed to weigh at least 300 pounds to make it on a SEC team like Arkansas. He received several scholarship offers for smaller colleges, but he was determined to play for the Arkansas Razorbacks. A coach there told him he’d never receive a scholarship, but if he wanted to walk on, he should feel free to try.

After his senior high school season his mission was to get heavier and he ate and ate and ate. When he reported on the opening day of practice, he weighed well over 300 pounds, but was carrying a lot of fat. As determined as he was to make the team, he did everything he could to trim off the fat and get in better shape. Eventually he trimmed down to a more acceptable weight and was able to stick with the practice team. He worked and worked and worked, and by the end of his first year, the Razorbacks rewarded his effort by making him a scholarship player. Burlsworth continued his hard work through his time at Arkansas and helped his team become a contender in the tough SEC. His senior year he was a team leader and Arkansas won its first eight games for new coach Houston Nutt going into a game with No. 1 ranked Tennessee. The Razorbacks came close to winning that game but lost in the last seconds. Burlsworth was named All-American that season and he was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts, fulfilling his desire to be an NFL player. Unfortunately, he was killed in an automobile accident on his way home from Fayetteville and never got to play for Indianapolis.

He has been the recipient of many honors since his death. His No. 77 jersey at Arkansas has been retired, just one of two Razorback jerseys to receive that distinction. He is universally accepted as having been the best walk-on to play college football and in recent years, the Burlsworth Award has been given annually since 2010 to the best major college football walk-on.

I also wasn’t aware of the Burlsworth Award. Oklahoma Sooner fans probably know that a two-time recipient of the Burlsworth Award has been Baker Mayfield, a former OU quarterback.

Here is a list of the winners -- Sean Bedford, a center from Georgia Tech (2010); Austin Davis, a quarterback from Southern Miss (2011); Matt McGloin, a quarterback from Penn State (2012); Jared Abbrederis, a wide receiver from Wisconsin (2013); Justin Hardy, a wide receiver from East Carolina (2014); Mayfield (2015 and 2016); Luke Falk, a quarterback from Washington State (2017); Hunter Rentfrow, a wide receiver from Clemson (2018); Kenny Willekes, a defensive end from Michigan State (2019); and Jimmy Morrissey, a center from Pittsburgh (2020).

Like Burlsworth, Mayfield had received a number of scholarship offers, but chose to walk on at Texas Tech. Shortly before the 2013 season, he was named the starting quarterback for the Red Raiders and started the first game against SMU. He ascended to the starting role because projected starter Michael Brewer had sustained a back injury. Mayfield was the first walkon true freshman to start a major college season opener at quarterback. Mayfield had an amazing game against SMU, passing for 413 yards and four touchdowns. His 43 completions in 60 attempts broke a school record and fell only four completions short of the NCAA Division I single-game records for completions by a freshman. Mayfield’s year was interrupted by a knee injury and he lost the starting job, but he finished the season with 2,315 yards on 218 completions with 12 touchdowns and only nine interceptions.

Mayfield was nominated for the Burlsworth award after his freshman season, but he decided to leave Texas Tech due to a “miscommunication” with the coaching staff. He transferred to Oklahoma where he had walk-on status again. He sat out the 2014 season due to transfer rules and then became the Sooners’ starting quarterback in 2015. He had a great season winning the Burlsworth Trophy and finishing fourth in the voting for the Heisman. In 2016 he had another banner year, which featured a game against his former team, Texas Tech, which the Sooners won 66-59. Tech’s quarterback was Patrick Mahomes, who now toils for the Kansas City Chiefs. Mahomes passed for an amazing 734 yards and five touchdowns. Mayfield’s numbers weren’t too shabby, as he had 545 yards and seven touchdowns. He wound up getting the Burlsworth Trophy for the second time and finished third in the Heisman voting. Mayfield won the Heisman after the 2017 season and again was a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy. He helped Oklahoma to play in the national playoffs where they lost 54-48 to the Georgia Bulldogs in the Rose Bowl (a playoff semifinal game). He was and still is the only walkon to win the Heisman.

Besides being an outstanding football player, Burlsworth was a standout academician as well, making the Academic All-American team. It was appropriate that Sean Bedford of Georgia Tech won the first Burlsworth Trophy. Bedford also played on the offensive line (center). He was sought out by Ivy League schools because of his academic prowess, but was never offered a Division I football scholarship. He chose to go to Georgia Tech, because in his estimation it had one of the top engineering programs in the nation. He decided to try out as a football walk-on and eventually became a two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference team member. An aerospace engineering major, he was named one of the 20 smartest athletes in the nation. He wasn’t drafted by an NFL team, but did play a year for Rivas Osos in Spain’s Liga Nacional de Futbol Americano. According to Wikipedia, Bedford eventually graduated from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and is now an associate with the international intellectual property law firm Alston & Bird.

One other fact about Burlsworth that was brought out by the movie “Greater.” He had a deep Christian faith that has served as an inspiration to those who knew him and also to those who hear his story. Having a religious faith isn’t a requirement for receiving the Burlsworth Trophy, but someone has pointed out that there are some winners who share this characteristic with the trophy’s namesake.