RVING, Texas – Former Arkansas offensive guard Brandon Burlsworth and former Arkansas head coach Danny Ford were named to the 2015 ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, as announced today by the National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Hall of Fame.
Burlsworth and Ford join 75 players and six coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 87 players and 25 coaches from the divisional ranks.
Burlsworth was a four year letterwinner from 1995-98 after walking onto the team his first year. After a redshirt season, the native of Harrison, Arkansas earned a scholarship after exhibiting a tremendous work ethic in the weight room. In 1998, The Football Newsnamed Burlsworth first-team All-American and all-conference. Burlsworth led an offensive line that helped the Razorback offense score more points than it had since 1970 and produce more yards than it had since the 1989 season. After completing his master’s in business administration, Burlsworth was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts, but less than two weeks later Burlsworth tragically died in an automobile accident. His locker remains intact as a tribute to his memory in the Arkansas football dressing room and his No. 77 remains the second and last retired Arkansas number in program history.
Ford led the Razorbacks for five seasons, directing Arkansas to its first Southeastern Conference Western Division title and its first SEC Championship appearance in 1995. His tenure included 16 wins, four of them coming against ranked opponents. Ford previously led Clemson to the 1981 national championship.
The announcement of the 2015 class, including the players and coaches from both the Football Bowl Division and the divisional ranks, will be made Friday, Jan. 9 at the media hotel in close proximity to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and the site of the Jan. 12 College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship Game. Several of the inductees will be on site to represent the class, sharing their thoughts on induction and also participating in the Jan. 12 pre-game festivities. The Jan. 9 announcement will be carried live onhttp://www.footballfoundation.org.
Arkansas returns to action this Saturday, Oct. 25 in the non-conference finale against UAB. Single-game tickets are available and can be purchased online at ARKANSASRAZORBACKS.com or by calling the Razorback Ticket Center at 1-800-982-HOGS.
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