Brent Burnside and Twin Brother Land on Thunderbears
Tom Ando
Wednesday April 25, 2001
 Brent and Brandon Burnside were #1 and #2 respectively for the Tulsa Talons Image courtesy of the Tulsa Talons |
Brent has been a star since High School, and he still recalls those days, which includes his favorite memory in a football uniform. "This dates back to my junior year (in high school), which was our homecoming game. I remember it because it was really the first action that I had seen in a varsity game," Explained Brent. "We were playing a big rival, we were down, and they were high in the state rankings, and we weren`t doing so well at the time. I remember scoring two long touchdowns in the fourth quarter to help us take the lead and win the game, and that was special because it was homecoming and they were the powerhouse at the time, and I had played a major role in helping to win that game."
In college, Brent was the interception leader in NCAA Division II during the 1999 season and was selected First-Team All-Conference at defensive back for Missouri Western. He tied the Griffons` single-season interception record after posting eight interceptions for 177 yards his senior season.
In 2000, the Burnside brothers made a big decision to play in the AF2 for Tulsa. "I just wanted to keep playing the game. It`s the thing I love to do, it was really the only opportunity I had coming right out of college. So it`s something that my brother and I decided to do, just keep playing the game, and we had the opportunity do that in Tulsa."
Brent had mixed feelings however on adapting to the new style of play. "For me the game was a lot faster than playing in the big game, but I think it was a bit easier for me, because in college I was lucky enough to be able to play both offense and defense, and that`s a thing that you have to do in this league, so in that aspect, it was an easy adjustment, but adapting to the size of the field and the speed of the game, that was probably the two toughest things."
In Tulsa, Brent posted solid numbers with 45 tackles and six interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Offensively, he recorded 54 catches for 623 yards and 11 touchdowns. Then, according to Brent, came the easy decision of signing with the Thunderbears.
"It was just a thing where Houston was one of the first to show interest in us after the season in Tulsa, and we just jumped at the opportunity. It was a thing that we decided to do together, so it was basically first come first serve."
Although the Thunderbears were the first team to show interest, the thought of playing neutral site home games left Brent confused. "At first I wasn`t too much excited about it, but just for the fact that I`m going to get to see places that I haven`t seen. I`m going to try to enjoy it the best that I can. It`s going to be difficult knowing that you`re not going to have a home crowd and a home venue, so it`s going to be tough for us in that aspect, but playing on the road after a few weeks, I think I`ll be used to it."
Brent is already very familiar with playing on the same team as his twin brother, Brandon. "I enjoy it quite a bit, it`s an opportunity that a lot of brothers don`t really get. We`ve done it since high school, through college and up until now, so I really enjoy it."
Having quarterback Todd Hammel would help any rookie receiver, and Brent is quick to agree. "The experience that he knows, where to go, when to go. In the huddle, you have the confidence that he knows what he`s talking about. He`s helping me a little bit, being a rookie, just letting me know what to look for, and what he`s looking for, so we`re on the same page. It`s an advantage, definitely having a veteran quarterback."
With the 2001 season just starting, Brent has modest goals. "I don`t really have high expectations for myself. I just wanted to come in and hopefully play a small, successful role -- play enough to make an impact. I`m not really looking to be the go to guy on offense or the lockdown guy on defense. I`m not really a standout guy, I`m a modest type of person, so I don`t really expect much out of myself, so whatever happens, happens."
Brent didn`t want to give a prediction on how far the Thunderbears would go this year, but he did leave a hint on where he would like the Thunderbears to play next season. "I wouldn`t mind it if we moved to Kansas City. I`m from a small town just about 35 minutes north of there that would be convenient, but other than that it really doesn`t matter. We`ve talked about San Diego -- coming out here to the west coast,” said Brent last week from his hotel in Los Angeles, “but I could deal with it wherever we end up."
Wherever the Thunderbears end up, you can bet on solid play from Brent Burnside.
"Touchdown" Tom Ando is a free lance writer from South Buffalo, NY and has been covering the Arena Football League in one capacity or another since the 2000 season, when he was 17 years old. Tom Currently writes for Sports & Leisure Magazine in Buffalo covering the NLL's Buffalo Bandits and NCAA Division I football. In 2001, Tom was the only writer in the country to cover the Houston "Travelin' " Thunderbears, where he befriended his mentor John F. "Hondo" Hahn.
