The second episode of the Bears' "Meet the Rookies" video series features receiver Luther Burden III. This piece from senior writer Larry Mayer dives into the Missouri product's desire to give back to the places where he grew up.
A five-star recruit at East St. Louis Senior High School with dozens of scholarship offers, receiver Luther Burden III decided to stay home and attend the University of Missouri.
The Bears' second-round draft pick excelled for the Tigers, earning first-team All-SEC honors in each of his final two seasons in Columbia.
What Burden accomplished off the field while in college, however, was just as impressive. Determined to give back to the communities where he grew up, he conducted free youth football camps at the Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club in St. Louis as well as East St. Louis Senior High School, his alma mater.
"It's a true blessing," Burden said at the Herbert Hoover camp. "I'm excited to be here and be a part of these kids' lives and give them some knowledge. I know I was in their shoes in this position at one time, so it's just a blessing to be here."
The receiver's desire to give back is influenced by the memory of Demetrious Johnson, a mentor of Burden's who grew up in St. Louis and played football at Missouri and in the NFL. Johnson passed away Dec. 24, 2022, at the age of 61.
"He definitely inspired me to always give back to your community and where you came from, especially if you have a good platform, and it's stuck with me ever since," Burden said at his camp in St. Louis in 2023. "I cherish him every second I can, and I know he's looking down on me proud."
Seemingly all of St. Louis was proud when Burden decided to attend Missouri, choosing the Tigers over multiple national powerhouses. One recruiting analyst compared the significance of the situation to when the Reds signed Cincinnati native Ken Griffey Jr. as a free agent in 2000.
Burden's popularity in the area was evident when he sealed an NIL deal with a local grocery chain before he even played his first college game – Old Vienna snack food company released special edition "Luther Burden Honey BBQ Red Hot Riplets" sold exclusively in Schnucks stores.
"A quick example of how much the city loves Luther, I think he's the only dude that I know to get his own snacks," Missouri cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. told ChicagoBears.com. "He has his own potato chips in the city. That's a big thing and I feel like Luther coming out of St. Louis, he's on a pedestal.
"Not a lot of people did what Luther did football-wise. The city loves Luther. He's always humble. He gives back to the St. Louis community. He hosts camps. He gives back to the Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club. He's like a little hero back in the city. All the kids love Luther."
