Letter to a football star from Travis Long on Vimeo.

In 1965, James Burch wrote a letter of encouragement to football star Jimmie Lee Kirkpatrick, who was left off the Shrine Bowl all-star team. Kirkpatrick saved the letter for 47 years, but never knew who Burch was, until this year. Burch, who lives in Apex, was a teacher, principal and school administrator in Charlotte and later became one of the first African-Americans to referee a major college basketball game in the South.