Bill Burnett, the Arkansas Razorbacks’ all-time scoring leader and one of the most decorated backs in school history, has died at 78.
His wife of 56 years, Linda Burnett, said he passed away on July 4 after an extended battle with severe memory loss. In a statement, she said:
"I think [CTE] was part of what he was dealing with, along with possibly Alzheimer's [Disease] as well. But I felt on the Fourth of July, he was set free from his body... What better day is there for freedom?"
Burnett’s legacy at Arkansas still stands tall more than five decades after his final game in Fayetteville. The Bentonville High School product played for the Razorbacks from 1968-1970 under Frank Broyles and finished with a school-record 49 total touchdowns, including 46 on the ground. Those 46 rushing scores remain an Arkansas record.
He also set the school’s single-season touchdown mark with 19 in 1969, a record that lasted 46 years until Alex Collins scored 20 in 2015. Burnett’s 2,320 career rushing yards rank 13th all-time at Arkansas, and he never fumbled during his playing career.
Former Arkansas player and coach Ken Hatfield remembered Burnett this way:
“The one thing you could say about Bill Burnett: he was real. He didn’t let all of his star power... come into play. And he was such a great player and a great touchdown man for the Hogs."
Burnett was drafted in the ninth round by the Baltimore Colts after his Arkansas career. He also came from a family already tied to the program, with brothers Bobby and Tommy both having played for the Hogs in the mid-1960s.
His list of honors grew long over the years. Burnett was a two-time All-Southwest Conference selection, an academic All-American, and a Southwest Conference Player of the Year. He was inducted into the University of Arkansas Hall of Honor in 1995, the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1996, and the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame in 2015.
Earlier this year, Burnett believed he was dealing with the effects of CTE. He had spent more than a year at Fayetteville’s Clear Creek Memory Care before his death.
Burnett also made an impact beyond the field through his leadership in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, leaving behind a legacy that stretched across Arkansas.
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