PROLA President Joseph H. Farkollie indicated that the sporting public will miss the late Burnette due to the numerous contributions he made towards the development of the game in country.

He then enumerated the bountiful achievements of the late Burnette, especially during pre-war Liberia.

The PROLA President recognized the deceased’s roles played as President of the Liberia Football Association (LFA) and Invincible Eleven IE) as well as   player and captain of both IE and the national soccer team, the Lone Star in the 1960s.

Mr. Farkollie remembered the late Burnette to be the brain behind the erection of a press booth, stadium and stadium wing at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS) at the time he was President of the LFA.

He also remembered Mr. Burnette for playing and captaining the then famous Tigers of the Booker Washington Institute (BWI) in Kakata, Margibi County.  

Mr. Farkollie said while the deceased was then Managing Director of the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), he introduced and personally financed a tournament involving Liberian players in the United States under the name Dugbor USA against the likes of Mighty Barrolle and IE on an annual basis.

He considered Burnette as the architect of modern soccer and attributed the exposure of the Lone Star to the deceased. According to the PROLA boss, it was during the Burnette administration as President of the LFA that the Loner Star traveled to a number of countries across the continent as well as Germany.

Mr. Farkollie mentioned that the late Burnette helped to educate players that were mere footballers, most of who are in the USA today. Among those he named are Vinicius Charlie, Albert Nah, Benedict Wisseh, Solomon Sipply, Blanca Bomah, Sekou Gomez (the late), Philip Clark, Paul Darzie, Morris George, Raymond Godfred, Santos Maria, Sarkpa Nyanseor, Forkay Nippy, Anthony Tokpa and Anthony Gray.

“He cut across the divide by not only giving jobs and supporting players of IE but also those of St. Joseph Warriors and Barrolle at the LEC. “These are classified examples of what Sam Burnette did while alive,” noted the PROLA President.

He frowned on the lukewarm attitude that was exhibited towards the late Burnette by sports enthusiasts by not giving the aid he really needed while going through illness.