{"id":400,"date":"2026-07-12T15:46:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T15:46:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/?p=400"},"modified":"2026-07-12T15:46:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T15:46:18","slug":"legendary-2200-yard-running-back-has-sadly-died","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/?p=400","title":{"rendered":"Legendary 2,200-Yard Running Back Has Sadly Died"},"content":{"rendered":"

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What a sad news.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Arkansas football lost one of its greatest players over the holiday weekend. Bill Burnett, the program\u2019s all-time touchdown leader, died on July 4 at age 78, according to his family.<\/p>\n

His daughter, Joy Burnett Irvin,\u00a0shared the news\u00a0on social media, noting the fitting timing of a devoted Christian and Razorback icon passing on the very day America turned 250 years old.<\/p>\n

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\u201cLast night \ud83c\udf19 on the 4th of July \ud83c\udf86 my precious daddy Bill Burnett went home to be with Jesus \ud83d\ude4c! I love the fact that every 4th I can celebrate him. My heart aches \ud83d\udc94 for the man I lost, but I\u2019m rejoicing for his eternity. My dad loved Jesus more than anything. I love to think of all the people that are in heaven or on their way there because of my father and his love for Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Bill Burnett Built a Razorback Legacy That Still Stands<\/h2>\n
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Aug 30, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks fans cheer after a score against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs during the third quarter at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Burnett suited up for the Razorbacks from 1968 to 1970 under legendary coach Frank Broyles, and he made nearly every carry matter. He finished his career with 49 total touchdowns and 46 rushing touchdowns, numbers that remain school records more than five decades later. Burnett\u2019s single-season mark of 19 rushing touchdowns in 1969 stood for 46 years before Alex Collins finally broke it in 2015, and he still holds the FBS record for consecutive games with a rushing touchdown.<\/p>\n

Despite standing just 6-foot and weighing 185 pounds, Burnett built his reputation around a signature \u201cup-and-over\u201d style, twisting through the air to fight for extra yardage near the goal line. He scored in the 1969 \u201cGame of the Century\u201d against No. 1 Texas and added another touchdown in the 1970 Sugar Bowl, becoming one of the most clutch playmakers in program history.<\/p>\n

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In his three seasons at Arkansas, he turned 526 rushing attempts into 2,204 yards. Remarkably, former teammates say Bill Burnett never fumbled once during his entire college career.<\/p>\n

Bill Burnett\u2019s Battle With CTE and His Lasting Faith<\/h2>\n
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Arkansas Razorbacks (Image Credits: Imagn)<\/p>\n

In his final years, Burnett lived at Clear Creek Memory Care in Fayetteville while dealing with severe memory loss. His wife, Linda, believed he suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, and Burnett said earlier this year that he was fairly certain the disease had taken hold. Razorback Nation has faced\u00a0several gut-wrenching losses\u00a0in recent seasons, and Bill Burnett\u2019s passing adds another painful chapter to that history.<\/p>\n

Yet Burnett\u2019s legacy reaches far beyond the football field. He pioneered the Fellowship of Christian Athletes movement across Arkansas and opened a crisis pregnancy center in Fort Smith, both born from his deep faith.<\/p>\n

Former teammate and coach Ken Hatfield remembered Burnett as humble despite his stardom.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe was such a great player and a great touchdown man for the Hogs,\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Hatfield said, adding that Burnett always stayed genuine and cared deeply about the people around him.<\/p>\n

Burnett is survived by his wife of 56 years, Linda, and their family. Fans will remember him not just for his records, but for the character he brought to every part of his life.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What a sad news. Arkansas football lost one of its greatest players over the holiday weekend. Bill Burnett, the program\u2019s all-time touchdown leader, died on July 4 at age 78, … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,8,1,9],"tags":[2,11,3,4,5,7],"class_list":["post-400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nba","category-nfl","category-trending","category-world-cup","tag-breaking-news","tag-nba","tag-nfl","tag-taykorswift","tag-traviskelce","tag-world-cup"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=400"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":403,"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400\/revisions\/403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}