BYU Running Back Joins a New Team
By Craig Earnshaw
Curtis Brown, senior running back
at BYU, has had a lot of big days in his life.
There was the big day during the
2005 season when he had 219 yards rushing and four touchdowns
against Air Force. There was another big day at the end of last
season when he was named to the All-Mountain West Conference first-team.
He had yet another big day against Wyoming in 2004 when he ran
for 159 yards and threw a 40-yard touchdown pass.
He also remembers well the big day
in 2002, his freshman season, when the Cougars were down to rival
Utah State at halftime, 34-7. It was his 217 yards, 117 in the
second half, and three touchdowns that were a big factor in the
Cougars’ comeback and electrifying 35-34 victory that day.
At Paraclete High School, a private parochial school in Lancaster,
Calif. (a city about 50 miles north of Los Angeles), he had a
lot of big days as well. He had over 7,000 career rushing yards
and helped his team win four consecutive California Interscholastic
Federation Division XII titles, including a 12-0 record his senior
season.
“But the most important days of my
life have occurred off the field,” says Brown. “And they have
been as a result of my decision to come here (to BYU).”
Recruiting Brown
After his senior year at Paraclete,
Brown was recruited by some colleges, but not the ones he wanted.
He and his parents made a highlight tape and sent it to each of
the schools that had contacted him.
“BYU was the first to jump on it,”
Brown remembers. “They expressed high interest and set me up for
a (recruiting visit) the following week.”
Following his visit to Provo, Brown
felt he would get a chance to play and accepted the Cougars’ scholarship
offer, a decision that changed his life in more ways than one.
Investigative Brown
During his freshman year, Brown had
little contact with the Church. Only one of his roommates was
a member, a situation that changed during his sophomore year when
he moved into an apartment full of Church members. One of his
new roommates, (former Cougar quarterback) Matt Berry, invited
him to come to Church one week.
“My intention was just to learn more,”
remembers Brown. “When I agreed to take the discussions I didn’t
even know how they worked. But when the missionaries came I realized
I had committed myself and I wanted to find out anyway. When I
heard it all from beginning to end, I realized everything they
were talking about is true. I investigated, I prayed about it.
That was the cool thing to me.”
Brown was baptized by Berry in February
2004. More than 150 of his friends and family attended the ordinance,
including Bishop Richard C. Edgley of the Presiding Bishopric. “It was one of the best
days of my life,” Brown says.
Brown was raised in a religious home.
When his parents found out about his decision to join the Church
they were supportive. They attended his baptism and afterwards
his mother wrote a letter to BYU and BYU fans.
“His father, brother and sister and
I are not LDS members,” she said in the letter, “but we were thrilled
with his decision.”
From Here to Eternity
Soon after his baptism, Brown started
dating Kim Dabo, who had been just an
acquaintance until then. The relationship blossomed into a romance
and they were married in the Oakland Temple in August 2006.
When asked about that day, a big
smile flashes across his face. “Amazing,” he says. “It’s your
day. It’s a very spiritual experience. Being able to go through
(the temple) with my wife was just amazing.”
After just a couple months of married
life he realizes that he is now on a new team composed of three.
“Heavenly Father is definitely involved
in our relationship. He has a lot do with the success of our marriage.
She and I can’t do it alone,” Brown says. “There are so many blessings
that have come to us, just being part of the Church. I’m enjoying
every second of it.”
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