[UH FOOTBALL]
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Brown delivers YOU know this standing on the side watching other people play tackle football kills him. But Chris Brown understands the reasons coach June Jones keeps him and most of the other starters out of scrimmages, like Jones did Friday at spring practice. The Warriors just can't afford to get key people injured.
The linebacker makes every
Hawaii defender betterBy Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comStill, last fall Brown found a way into the action during a similar scrimmage. After a teammate missed an assignment, Brown ran onto the field and head-butted the guy -- without his helmet.
That's the Chris Brown most Hawaii football fans know. But it's really only one of his many dimensions.
Some lead by quiet example, others through force of personality. Some take charge from the front, others from farther back, where they can see the big picture better.
Some lead by intimidation, others by being a friend. Some command attention through brute strength, others show the way with intelligence.
Brown? All of the above.
Brown's organized enough to plan offseason team workouts, smart enough to learn a new position in a few weeks, empathetic enough to mentor a young backup, and tough enough to play through pain and inspire others to do the same.
"That's what makes him so special," Warriors defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa said. "He has all these different sides. A lot of people only see the animal player on the field. But he's a very caring person. You just have to see him with his son, or with younger players to know that."
High school: Damien Memorial Chris Brown
Hometown: Kahaluu
Weighty issues: Best bench press is 500 pounds. Benched 225 pounds 42 repetitions last year.
Family: Parents Chris and Cynthia, son Elijah, 4. "He's like my little conscience. If I think I want to do something stupid, he pops up in my mind.
Adds Jones, "He's taken initiative in a lot of ways."
The 6-foot-1, 256-pound Brown is a weight room fanatic and the strongest player on the team.
"Just by being one of the biggest guys, the strongest (physically) and mentally strong, that makes Chris a leader," said sophomore safety Chad Kapanui. "He's always trying to get us in the weight room, trying to push everybody to work out hard. He's a great leader for us. Everyone looks up to him. You gotta listen to him. You're not going to say anything back to him because he's kind of big. He's kind of the bull on the team. He respects us, but everyone listens to him."
Brown isn't just respected, he's also liked.
"He's always there for us as friends, too. We all look to Chris for advice when it's needed, and he does the same with us," roommate and fellow linebacker Matt Wright said. "He's serious in what he wants to accomplish, but he doesn't take himself too seriously. He has a good sense of humor and likes practical jokes."
Brown's credibility via on-field performance and statistics is no joke.
Last season he led the Warriors in tackles with 124 and was named to the Western Athletic Conference first team. This in his first year as a linebacker.
Prior to that, he was a defensive lineman, playing tackle as a freshman in 1999 and end as a sophomore in 2000. One year ago, he was converting to linebacker, and skeptics abounded. Was he fast enough to patrol the middle of the field? Was he smart and instinctive enough to learn the position?
The answers were emphatically affirmative, giving Brown even more leverage as a team leader.
"Personally, I think he's a major reason why we improved last year (from 3-9 to 9-3)," Lempa said. "His presence in the middle was a huge factor. With the people we have coming back and him in the middle with another year of experience he'll be even better."
The coaches worry that Brown might hurt himself by overtraining.
"We have to threaten him with discipline to get him out of the weight room. You don't see guys who want to both run and lift every single day like he does," said Warriors defensive line coach Vantz Singletary. "He's an inspiration to everyone, always pushing others to work hard. I keep trying to get him back, but he's so good at linebacker now, I know that's just wishful thinking."
Because he was successful at switching positions, Brown encourages others to do the same.
"Yeah, like Chad Kapanui," Brown said. "I told him, 'You have so much athleticism, why don't you go play safety? Work hard at it, keep your weight down, I think you could do well.' Same thing with Wayne Hunter. I told him from the start he should be an offensive lineman. You can do what you want to do, or you can go and try to make money one day. I said, 'You want to make money? Play offensive line and learn from coach Cav (Mike Cavanaugh). If you want it, you've got to want to do it, not just something you want to try. If you're going to make a move you've got to want to do it."
Brown hopes to make money playing football, beginning next year. He's beginning to look like a prototype NFL linebacker.
But before that, the Lombardi Award nominee wants to become the best linebacker in the nation and help the Warriors to a bowl game. He wants to lead them there, any way he can.
"I feel like I have more responsibility because I've been through it for four years. I've played with the best Jeff Ulbrich, Yaphet Warren. All those guys inspired me. Now I feel like I have to do what they did as seniors and inspire the next guys.
"I'm focusing day-to-day. I hope for good things for me in the future. But you never know if it's going to happen or not. I love playing middle linebacker, being in the middle of everything. Where I can help my d-linemen, my linebackers and my safeties and corners. I want to help the whole defense, and the whole team."
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