Plano's Burkhead has game-changing drive
01:38 PM CST on Friday, November 21, 2008
By BARRY HORN / The Dallas Morning News
bhorn@dallasnews.com
PLANO – Plano senior running back Rex Burkhead could take his considerable football talents to Texas Tech, which today happens to be ranked the second best college program in the nation. Or he could go to Harvard and play the more staid Ivy League game. And let's not rule out Nebraska, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Michigan, Rice, Texas A&M or, oh yes, Stanford.
So where is the brawny, brainy Burkhead leaning?
"I honestly have no idea," he said, seated on a couch in his family's living room with father Rick and mom Robyn leaning forward in their seats, hoping themselves for a clue. "I've been too busy to really think about it."
Rick, who is in law enforcement and investigates for a living, shakes his head. Robyn, a fourth-grade school teacher who coaxes answers from students all day, smiles. On this subject, they remain equally clueless. Later, over the telephone, older brother Ryan, a junior defensive end at Harvard, says he talks to his brother daily. "College never comes up," he said. "He cares only about what he is doing now."
Now, Rex has been helping the Plano Wildcats to a 10-1 record and the second round of the Class 5A Division I playoffs. In Plano's 42-15 victory over Duncanville last week, Burkhead scored four touchdowns – two running, two receiving. He rushed for 125 yards on 16 carries and caught five passes for 163 yards.
In the wake of the game, Plano coach Jaydon McCullough accepted congratulations from the Duncanville coaches, and as has become postgame ritual, they were laced with praise for No. 20. McCullough says he has never seen a more focused, dedicated player.
"I've been coaching 23 years, and Rex is the best all-around player and person I have ever coached," McCullough said. "I've coached lots of talented kids, hard-working good kids, but there is something different about him."
Here's the statistical skinny on the 5-11, 203-pound Burkhead's senior season: 1,591 rushing yards on 228 carries, 543 receiving yards on 34 catches and a grand total of 32 touchdowns – two on returns.
A coach's dream
When Plano takes the Texas Stadium field against undefeated Euless Trinity at 5 p.m. Saturday, Burkhead will be playing in his 51st high school game. He's been on the varsity since ninth grade and a starter since 10th grade, when he played quarterback.
And one more thing: Burkhead was a 5-8 dunking freshman guard on Plano's state championship basketball team in 2006. Maybe he will finally have time to decide on a college between Plano basketball games.
Where he goes will depend on what position he ultimately decides to play.
Some colleges see Burkhead as a running back. Some see him as a slot receiver and some as a defensive back. Ole Miss wants him as a quarterback, envisioning him in the role Darren McFadden once played for Arkansas, McCullough said.
But what about the immeasurables, all that good-person stuff? The kind of things that can make a hard-charging running back, who also returns punts and plays defensive back when needed, blush.
Rex Burkhead simply shrugs. That's for others to say.
"Rex is reaping the benefits of hard work and dedication," said Thomas Lott, the former quarterback/maestro of the Wishbone at Oklahoma, whose son Kris, a wide receiver, is Burkhead's teammate and friend since the sixth grade. "Most kids today are lazy, not like we were. Rex is a throwback. He's one in a million."
Rex, 18, benefited by playing sports with brother Ryan – who is two years older – and his friends. "He had no fear and outworked everyone," Ryan said. "He was always better than anyone else."
McCullough said Burkhead, then a freshman, had the strongest work ethic of anyone else on the 2005 team that went 13-1 and was eliminated late in the playoffs by eventual state champion Southlake Carroll. It has not diminished now that he is a focal point.
"In practice, he still runs the extra 30 yards to the end zone on every play," McCullough said. "I told him he didn't have to. He ignores me."
Signs of inspiration
It is impossible to pinpoint where Burkhead's work ethic came from. Maybe it came from his parents, who married young. In college, Rick played football at Eastern Kentucky. When he was in school and practicing, Robyn balanced work and took care of the children. After practice, Rick stayed with the boys and Robyn went to school. When Robyn came home, Rick headed out to work.
Or maybe it came from Ryan, who always played hard but studied harder.
Rex's bedroom is a photo shrine to athletes who sweated to be the best. Barry Sanders, the Pro Football Hall of Fame running back, is his favorite. A photo of Walter Payton, another Hall of Fame running back, is on the ceiling over his bed, leaping over his linemen to gain yards, and is the last thing Burkhead sees every night before he goes to sleep.
"Those are the kind of people I want to be like when I grow up," he said earnestly. "I'm still really a little kid at heart. They are my inspiration."
Even someone searching for inspiration can be inspirational. If Burkhead needs to be reminded that there is always room for improvement, his long-time friend Dillon Smith is there to provide gentle reminders. Smith, also a senior, is a student-trainer. His father, Mark, describes him as "developmentally delayed."
After games – even the one against Temple when Burkhead scored six touchdowns and rushed for 216 yards – Dillon provides detailed critiques of what his friend might have done better. Always, Burkhead pays strict attention.
"It's so hard to explain what a great kid Rex is," Mark Smith said. "It's a tribute to Rex that he takes the time to be with Dillon, not only around football, but to be a part of his life. Kids like Rex are truly a blessing."
REX BURKHEAD BY THE NUMBERS
50 Varsity games played
4,526 Rushing yards
6,122 All-purpose yards
77 Touchdowns
Plano (10-1) vs. Euless Trinity (11-0), 5A Division I area round, 5 p.m. Saturday, Texas Stadium (KDKR-FM 91.3, KVCE-AM 1160)
