Burlsworth rouses 'big brother' actor

Actor Chris Severio (left), who plays Brandon Burlsworth in the movie "Greater, " autographs Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016, a movie poster for Mark Marinoni, 16, of Fayetteville, who plays a role in the movie, as Marinoni's father, Paul Marinoni III, looks on during a red carpet event ahead of the premiere of the movie at the Malco Razorback Cinema 16 in Fayetteville.
Actor Chris Severio (left), who plays Brandon Burlsworth in the movie "Greater, " autographs Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016, a movie poster for Mark Marinoni, 16, of Fayetteville, who plays a role in the movie, as Marinoni's father, Paul Marinoni III, looks on during a red carpet event ahead of the premiere of the movie at the Malco Razorback Cinema 16 in Fayetteville.

For those who didn't live in Arkansas during the 1990s, the story of Razorback offensive guard Brandon Burlsworth sounds a myth, even though he grew up under modest circumstances in Harrison before becoming an All-American and a draft pick for the Indianapolis Colts.

The best way to think of him and his achievements is to imagine what Rudy would have been like if Daniel Ruettiger could actually play ball.

Because only 2 percent of NCAA athletes ever make the pros, Burlsworth's tale seems even more unlikely because he started as a walk-on, which meant he didn't have a scholarship. Such athletes rarely have the honor of even warming the bench.

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How he would have fared as a pro remains a mystery because he died in a car accident on April 28, 1999, outside of Alpena a mere 11 days after the Colts gave him the nod. He was only 22 years old.

Burlsworth's short but eventful life is now the subject of the new movie Greater, in which Christopher Severio plays the offensive lineman. The movie is presented from the point-of-view of Burlsworth's older brother Marty, who's portrayed by Neal McDonough, who's best known for playing Damien Darhk, a fellow complicating the lives of DC heroes on The Flash, Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow.

In separate telephone interviews, the real Marty Burlsworth and his on-screen avatar fondly recount how Burlsworth, through determination and faith, went from an unpromising start to gridiron glory.

HIGH ON THE HAWGS

Because nobody in Burlsworth's family had been to college and he lacked the means to attend without scholarships, it seemed foolish that as he was completing high school he was determined to settle for nothing but a Razorback jersey.

"He had some offers from some smaller (Division II) schools in the state, good schools," Marty says. "And they really recruited him hard. Once he'd set his mind to being a Razorback, there was just nothing else to keep him from that. People who knew Brandon well knew he'd make that happen."

McDonough understands why Marty was taken aback.

"To have your brother, who's not the most svelte of kids, to put it nicely ... while he's eating a cheesecake and bowl of chips say, 'Marty, I'm going to play for the Razorbacks' one day' ... 'What are you talking about that you're going to play for the Razorbacks? Do you mean you're going to line the field with stripes? Is that what you're going to do?'"

"Some of that's out of Hollywood," Marty says. "It certainly makes it a better movie. I don't want to say it wasn't true, because it is. We knew it was a stretch for him to be able to do that, but we also knew that he'd be able to accomplish that as well.

"As the movie tells, he showed up overweight, but he did that on purpose. When he'd go on recruiting visits while he was in high school during basketball season, they said you've got to be 280, 290, 300. Me being around him all the time, I didn't notice the weight gain. It was really soft weight, and it wasn't what they needed."

Over the course of two years, however, Burlsworth disciplined himself in his diet and regimen to the point where he was not only large and muscular but also quick and agile.

"He was a workout warrior," Marty says. "He could lift for three or four hours every time he went in there. At 300 pounds, he could dunk a basketball standing into it. I used to run with him when he was younger -- 17, 18, 19. We'd do sprints, and I'd always beat him. I'm 185 pounds. He's a 300-pounder. That went away pretty quick."

Burlsworth's distinctively thick black glasses made him look more like an accountant or comic Drew Carey instead of Tom Brady, but they may also have revealed the brain that came with the brawn. He made the All-SEC Academic Honor Roll from 1995 to 1998 and completed his master's degree while he was still stifling defensive players.

"They talked to him about getting contacts. He wasn't crazy about that. He didn't feel comfortable with that. Eric Dickerson used to wear some goggles. He didn't like those. So he came up with something that worked for him, something that was basic. He didn't care what it looked like as long as it was functional, and it worked for him," Marty says. "I would see him up at 3 a.m. in the morning back at Harrison for the weekend studying for something. That's just what he did. We just took that for granted."

In the wake of Ryan Lochte's misadventures in Brazil, it's striking that Burlsworth's Christian faith not only kept him out of trouble (he didn't drink), but it also showed up in his playing. He'd apologize to teammates if he bungled a play and even helped fallen opponents to their feet after the whistle blew.

"He played to the whistle, maybe a little through the whistle, sometimes, but nothing dirty and would never do anything to create an injury. But [the opponent] had better be ready because when that ball snaps, he just had one speed. He used to run drills with me at home, and he'd tear me up," Marty says.

A REAL SUPERHERO

For McDonough, telling the Burlsworths' story has been more than a role. He serves as executive producer on Greater and says the role reflected some of his own experiences as a Catholic.

The actor, who has played characters in the Marvel and DC universes, says playing Marty was a challenge worthy of meta-human roles. "The difference between playing somebody Damien Darhk and playing Marty Burlsworth is that Marty's a lot tougher than all of them. And that's the truth.

"Here's a guy who's really the father figure to Brandon and working so hard with him all those years, always there for him, pushing him forward, keeping him in shape doing all the things that he did and then to have that kid taken away from him at the most inopportune of times, I don't know how I would deal with that. I had my mom pass in a car crash 25 years ago, and I had a really hard time dealing with that because we were so close."

With a 17-year gap between the siblings, McDonough says, "I never played as if Brandon was my little brother. I always played him more as my son. I talked to Chris Severio, Brandon in the movie, a lot like I was talking to my son Morgan .... It's like he's my son, and I'm proud of him because he is my son. It makes it that much harder when the son was taken away from him. That's a pain that no parent ever wants, although we're brothers.

"[Director David Hunt] emailed me the script while we were stuck in traffic. My wife and I live in Santa Monica, and we were in dead, stopped traffic. I said, honey, start reading the script to me, and let's see what this guy is talking about. By page three, I was already like a bucket of tears. And then I got home and read the rest of it."

THROUGH BRANDON'S SPECS

If there is anything good that has come from Brandon's loss, there is now the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation, which supports the spiritual and physical needs of children with limited opportunities, and Eyes of a Champion, which provides eye examinations for underprivileged children in the Natural State.

"We're telling the kids that if Brandon were here -- we're all just standing in for him, just remember that example," Marty says. "You can overcome the obstacles and the doubters that are always going to be there. Brandon had a lot of that at Arkansas. A lot of people thought he was crazy for pursuing that, that it would be more than a long shot. He just wouldn't listen to that. His faith kept him through all that."

MovieStyle on 08/26/2016

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