Personal Statement
My name is Eli Burke and I play football in Doniphan, Missouri. At the end of the 1979 football season my school, Doniphan High School, stopped the football proam due to funding issues. Fortunately, about twenty years ago former players stated a youth team and when my time came, I got to learn and fall in love with the game of football. A few years back members of the community convinced the school to field a team if it was funded by private donations. They agreed. Somehow a poor rural community not familiar with the game raised a half million dollars to build a stadium and put us in pads and uniforms My freshman year the program restarted with a freshman only team and the next year we played a junior varsity only schedule and went 5 and 4. All road games for the first two seasons. Last fall in a stadium built by players and volunteers we played varsity football in Doniphan for the first time in almost 40 years. My dream of being a student athlete came true. And I love it!!
My goals for the next part of my career are clear. Presently I’m training as hard as possible to make us a winning team for my senior season. I’m in the gym every day and I work with a personal trainer and a sports nutritionist. I love being a student athlete and I am completely committed to playing football at the next level. I have been given the gifts of size, athleticism and intelligence and I’m determined to work hard and improve every day.
