As football players go, Desmond and Craig Brown don't look particularly imposing.
That's until Desmond, Johnson C. Smith's 5-foot-7 quarterback, starts looking downfield for his 5-10 brother. Then the Charleston, S.C. natives become intimidating.
The two were keys to the Bulls' 6-4 season a year ago. As a sophomore, Desmond led the CIAA in quarterback rating (138.0) and was the Golden Bulls' most valuable player. He
threw for 12 touchdowns against only three interceptions and engineered four come-from-behind victories.
As a freshman walk-on, Craig surprised everyone in the CIAA with his speed and reliable
hands. He led the league in yards per catch (21.3) and Smith in scoring with eight touchdowns. For his efforts, he was awarded a scholarship for 1999 and voted JCSU's rookie of the year.
"Playing with him has been quite an experience and something that we had been looking forward to doing for a long time," said Desmond. "We never really had a chance to play with
each other, so this has been a treat. I'm looking forward to playing with him again this year."
"It is fun, because we always seem to know what the other is thinking," said Craig. "This has
been like a dream come true for me. Last year was a great year."
The brothers are expected to do more of the same in '99 for the Bulls, who open Sept. 2
against Gardner-Webb. Their success lies in an uncanny ability to be in sync at all times, which developed into one of the CIAA's best pass-catch tandems.
"Having them both on this team is an advantage because they were brought up in a type of environment where they were really close," JCSU coach Tim Harkness said. "It carries over
to the field. They don't cling to each other but they trust each other and try to know what the other is thinking. They are not like twins by any stretch of the imagination, but they do feed off each other."
Desmond and Craig both have an extra motivation when they put on their pads and run out on the field: the fact that their grandfather was a star quarterback at Smith in the early 1940s.
"He always gets onto us because we lost to Livingstone last year," said Craig with a laugh. "He said that he never lost to Livingstone, so he was pretty upset. Before every game, I go to
my granddad and I talk to him. After the game, he tells me what I did wrong and to keep a straight head. He's a smart guy and he knows football. Basically, he's the reason I'm playing football."
Desmond has often heard all the reasons about how a short quarterback can't be successful, but is driven to prove the skeptics wrong.
"Since I was in high school, my height has been the conversation of many stories," he said. "I have tried to prove to people that I don't have to be 6-3 or 6-4. I just try to go out on the
field and do my best."
Harkness has heard the critics, too. He's sticking with his quarterback, who compensates for a lack of stature by making plays when the Bulls need them.
"People try to talk to me about his size and they say, 'He can't see over the line,'" said Harkness. "I tell them that no quarterback can. There are no 6-7 or 6-8 quarterbacks. The
question is can he find the passing lane between his linemen. In our offense, he has no problem with that. He makes good decisions; he's an intelligent, cerebral quarterback."
Craig Brown didn't play like a walk-on last season when he became Smith's primary deep threat. Despite a lack of size, he's as adept at working underneath defenses as getting open for the long pass.
"He's a pretty good deep threat with really good hands," Harkness said. "He understands defenses and how to run routes. The main thing is that he is just fearless when it comes to
catching the football."
As dazzling as 1998 was, Craig Brown sees himself doing better. For starters, Smith returns
an experienced group of skill-position players from last season. Second, he's really tight with the quarterback.
"I have much higher expectations of myself this year," Craig said. "Me and coach sat down and he told me he was going to give me the ball this season. I'm working real hard and trying
to do my best and my goal is 1,000 yards. I'm pretty sure I will reach that."
That's really scary.
