Patterson receives Burlsworth award

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

— Elisha Patterson received the Brandon Burlsworth football award on Thursday night for his drive, diligence to school and good moral character while playing on the Gentry High School football team in 2009.

Patterson graduated earlier this month.

Each year every high school football program in Arkansas nominates one player from their team to receive the Brandon Burlsworth football award.

Brandon Burlsworth came to the University of Arkansas as a walk-on and left as an All-American. He was drafted with the 63rd overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1999 NFL draft. Tragically, only days after his first mini-camp with the Colts, he was killed in a car accident.

The Brandon Burlsworth Foundation was founded in June of 1999 in Burlsworth’s honor. The goal of the foundation is to develop and implement programs for the benefit of needy and underprivileged children.

Those programs include “The Eyes of a Champion,” which takes on the issue of eye care for the children of Arkansas. The Brandon Burlsworth Foundation, in cooperation with the Wal-Mart/ Sam’s Optical Department, provides free vision exams and glasses to low-income, uninsured children.

Brandon BurlsworthFootball Camps are also held once each summer in Harrison and Little Rock. At the camps, hundreds of children are given a chance to learn from former Razorback stars.

Sports, Pages 7 on 06/02/2010