Razorback football walk-on Brandon Burlsworth, often photographed wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses, worked hard as a student and as a player at the University of Arkansas. Unfortunately, he died in a car wreck soon after being drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 1999.
To honor Burlsworth, the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation was created to help underprivileged children through various programs such as the Eyes of a Champion program, Burls Kids and Burlsworth Football Camps.
The foundation also created the Legends Awards to celebrate individuals who have made significant contributions to the state of Arkansas. On Oct. 8, Sam Alley, CEO of VCC, will be honored with the 2020 Legends Award.
Alley, also a UA graduate, is an admirer of the work ethic Burlsworth showed in his lifetime.
"It's great to see someone like him that had hope, and had determination, and drive and worked hard. He was the first one there, then the last one to leave. You know the success of athletes like Michael Jordan and others is because of hard work. He worked at it and had a vision that he accomplished."
Burlsworth was a walk-on to the Arkansas Razorback Football Team and Alley sees a similarity with his life. Alley came to Arkansas at the age of 14 from a city north of Jerusalem.
"I came to the United States as a walk on. I came without speaking English and that's what he did," says Alley referring to Burlsworth. "He walked on at the University of Arkansas not knowing that he was going to make it. And, what's really impressive, he was the first football Razorback to get his master's degree before his last game in college."
The foundation will honor Alley at a virtual event livestreamed from the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. In 1987, Alley co-founded VCC and is now one of the top engineering and construction professionals in the United States, according to his biography on the Burlsworth foundation website.
Alley also supports local civic organizations and nonprofits, especially those that help children. He lists Youth Home, of which he is a lifetime board member, and Junior Achievement, where he also served as a board member, among his favorites.
"I love the charities and institutions that deal with children and helping children. That's really what intrigued me about the Burlsworth foundation [and] their work with underprivileged children. The Eyes of a Champion is one of the best programs that they have.
"They give 1,000 Arkansas kids free eye exams and glasses. That's really touching. In addition, they do football camps for kids and they send some of the underprivileged kids to football games. To me, kids are the future of our society, and when people are helping kids, it is really helping society in the long term."
Alley says he is honored by and appreciates the award, but he hopes the focus is on the foundation.
"It's really what the foundation is about. And that's the reason I'm doing it is to help the foundation, hopefully, help raise money and be able to support these kids. There's a lot of good things that this organization has done."
This is the 11th year for the Legacy Dinner but the first time it will be virtual.
"Unfortunately with this covid-19 that happened," says Alley, "we've had to pivot. We pivoted in our company and other things socially. We were originally going to have the dinner Sept. 10, but then we decided to do a virtual event because of the situation."
The evening will feature Keith Jackson as the master of ceremonies and Alley's close family and friends will help recognize his achievements. The event will also spotlight the foundation's programs and the story of Brandon's life and legacy.
To find out how to be a part of the Oct. 8 Legacy Dinner virtual event, visit BrandonBurlsworth.org.