FAYETTEVILLE — Bill Burnett set records wherever he played during his football career, but the opportunities didn’t come easy initially for the running back.
When he was presented with two key opportunities, one in high school and one in college, to show what he could do, he capitalized on them.
“I’ve gotten opportunities to talk to younger athletes over the years,” Burnett said. “That is one of the messages I wanted to tell them. Sometimes it doesn’t work the way kids want it to with opportunities to be starters in the beginning. I always told them if you keep on keeping on with hard work, good things happen. It did for me.”
Burnett got his first big break while at Bentonville.
The Burnett family moved to Bentonville when Bill was in the ninth grade in the early 1960s. The Burnett parents wanted to be closer to sons Tommy and Bobby playing for the Razorbacks. Clell, Bill’s father, wanted to take a step back from full-time coaching after winning four state titles in three different sports in his career as well.
Bentonville had its team set and the coaching staff felt its biggest need was on the offensive line, so that’s where Bill started when he moved into the then small town. However, that didn’t last long.
“There was an injury right before halftime of a game,” Burnett said. “I was in the game as guard then they put me in there as a running back. They told me I’d get some looks in the second half. I wanted to make the most of those.”
Burnett At a Glance
SPORT Football
SCHOOL Bentonville
CREDENTIALS Ran the ball seven times and scored touchdowns on six of them in his first game as a running back at Bentonville High … Left the program as the all-time leading rusher … During his Arkansas Razorbacks career, he rushed for 2,204 yards and 46 touchdowns on 526 carries, earning All-Southwest Conference honors in 1969 and 1970. He led the SWC with 900 rushing yards in 1969 … He ranks first at Arkansas for most career rushing touchdowns (46), has the second-most rushing touchdowns in a single season (19) … He still holds the career scoring record of 294 points for position players and is second overall to kicker Zach Hocker … His 1969 season of 20 overall touchdowns set a school record for most points scored in a single season that was later tied by Alex Collins in 2015 … Older brothers Tommy and Bobby also played for Arkansas … Inducted into the SWC Hall Of Fame, along with Bobby, and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, along with Bobby and father Clell, who coached four state championships in three different sports in high school … He was named to the 1960s Arkansas All-Decade team, was an Academic All-American in 1969, earned the 1970 SWC Trophy for sportsmanship and the Kern Tips Award for the SWC’s most outstanding senior … Burnett and the Razorbacks finished with a 28-5 record in his three years.
QUOTABLE “I’ve gotten opportunities to talk to younger athletes over the years. That is one of the messages I wanted to tell them. Sometimes it doesn’t work the way kids want it to with opportunities to be starters in the beginning. I always told them if you keep on keeping on with hard work, good things happen. It did for me.” - Bill Burnett
Editor's Note
The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is looking back at the greatest high school athletes in its 12-county coverage area.
He did just that. Burnett didn’t receive any rushing attempts in the first half but then carried the ball seven times, scoring on six of his touches. Burnett had found his position and had plenty of high school success after that, leaving the school as the program’s all-time leading rusher.
Bentonville was a much different town when Burnett was running down the sidelines scoring touchdowns. The great wealth that is present now in the Northwest part of the state hadn’t arrived just yet.
It was quite the shift for Burnett moving to Bentonville from Smackover, a booming oil-rich town at the time. Just like a lot of small towns across the state in this era, the football field for Bentonville was just the baseball outfield for the most part.
“I remember my mother and dad having the conversation about the move still,” Burnett said. “It was tough because we loved Smackover. They had great facilities for the day. I remember driving past the facilities when I was just in town at Bentonville and there wasn’t much there. That has changed a lot over the years now. Playing for Bentonville really molded me for the future.”
Burnett thrived at Bentonville early in his career, but it would take some time for his success to come at the next level when playing for the Arkansas Razorbacks under legendary coach Frank Broyles. Bill felt he could play at a high level like his brother Bobby, who was a star running back on the 1964 national championship team. Not many around him agreed, though.
He finally got a chance to show what he could do after a coaching staff change at the running back position caused some reevaluating of talent well into Burnett’s time at the University of Arkansas.
After three seasons of doing practice squad duty, Burnett as a redshirt sophomore in 1968 looked at the depth chart posted in the team facility. He was ninth out of 10 on the chart, just ahead of a quarterback who was switching positions.
He quickly moved up the running back ranks after he got a chance to shine during a spring scrimmage. An unsuspecting Burnett overheard his name while he was just lounging in the pole vault area, not expecting to get any playing time with the varsity team with him so far down the pecking order.
“This scrimmage the defense was really wrecking the offense that day,” Burnett said. “I hear coach Don Breaux said very clearly and loudly, ‘I don’t have a player who can run the football!’ He was getting frustrated that day. From the other side of the scrimmage, defensive coach Charlie Coffey replied, ‘Put Burnett in there he’ll run it!’”
Burnett couldn’t believe it at the time, but he was getting his chance to show what he believed he could do for the team.
“Somebody poked me and said they had just said my name,” Burnett said. “I told them no surely they didn’t just say my name. But they did call for me. I had to dig and find my mouth guard because it had fallen. I got out there on the field. That’s when you say the rest is history. I was able to have a lot of success after that during the spring.”
Burnett burst on the college football scene with an outstanding sophomore year, finishing with 207 carries for 859 yards and 15 touchdowns, and he didn’t look back after that in his record-setting career. He then topped that season with 209 carries for 900 yards and 19 touchdowns his junior year, one of the best seasons from a running back in Arkansas history.
During his Arkansas Razorbacks career, he rushed for 2,204 yards and 46 touchdowns on 526 carries, earning All-Southwest Conference honors in 1969 and 1970. He led the SWC in rushing yards during that banner junior year as well.
“That was a wonderful time being a part of that kind of turnaround,” Burnett said. “I was able to say that all the time I was on the freshman field or working with the redshirts, it all paid off. I could look back and say I did it the right way. It felt good to be rewarded as the main running back. I really thought about leaving the program for a bit before I was given a chance to show what I could do. But I wanted to stick it out. Playing for Arkansas meant a lot to me.”
Many great players have starred at running back at Arkansas, but Burnett’s numbers still stand the test of time among the elite. Many of the records still stand 50 years after his last game.
He ranks first at Arkansas for most career rushing touchdowns (46) and has the second-most rushing touchdowns in a single season (19). He still holds the career scoring record of 294 points for position players and is second overall to kicker Zach Hocker in overall scoring. His 1969 season of 20 overall touchdowns set a school record for most points scored in a single season that was later tied by Alex Collins in 2015.
Burnett had an opportunity to go out of high school to the University of Tulsa with the program wanting to turn him into a wide receiver for its pass-heavy offense under legendary coach Glenn Dobbs. Although he considered it, Burnett said staying at Arkansas was a no-brainer. It worked out well for him and the Razorbacks, who finished with a 28-5 record in Burnett’s three seasons.
“It was an incredible opportunity for a kid who some thought was too little and too slow,” Burnett said. “There is something really, really special about a player from Arkansas going to the University of Arkansas and playing. You can’t define it or describe it. It just means more. When you run out on the field, there is something special. I still remember very vividly those moments.”