Honoring character & sportsmanship in high school football.
This is not a performance award. It's a Character Award — and it's FREE to every school in America.
It's simple: our nation needs to place a higher value on character.
The Burlsworth Character Award began in Arkansas in 2004 and is now given nationwide. It honors the player who may or may not be a top performer, but who represents what Brandon Burlsworth stood for: giving 100 percent on the field and standing as a moral example to his team.
There is no cost to your school. The award is a philanthropy of the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation.
Bound certificate & Blu-ray
Mementos for the honoree, including GREATER: The Brandon Burlsworth Story.
A message from Marty
A personal video for the honoree and team from Foundation President Marty Burlsworth.
The award patch
Wear it on the jersey. Available in the Foundation shop →
Nominate your player for the 2026–27 season.
Head coaches, submit one senior football player. You'll need this season's password from the Foundation, and about five minutes.
He had…
No money. No famous name. No scholarship offers.
Brandon Burlsworth walked on at the University of Arkansas in 1994. Through relentless work he earned a scholarship, became team captain, All-SEC, First Team All-American, and the first player in school history to earn a master's degree before his final game. The Indianapolis Colts drafted him 63rd overall in 1999. Eleven days later he was killed in a car accident.
The Foundation carries his name forward: a game-day experience for underprivileged children, free eye care for thousands of children, the Burlsworth Trophy, honoring college football's most outstanding player who began his career as a walk-on — and this award.
