Enshrined: Brown Keeps Character Atop His List
Volunteering ventures make his life feel complete
Mike Brohard
At Colorado State, Trevor Brown made every effort to get every ounce of his abilities to come to the surface as a student-athlete. He was also learning how to do the same as a human being.
He knew what the track and field staff had to offer him, but the lessons weren’t just focused on how to clear each and every hurdle as efficiently on the track, but also in life.
“There were so many good things I gained from CSU. One was character,” Brown said. “I don’t think it’s too often a sports team is looking for character, but Coach Brian Bedard and Coach Kareem Abdel Wahab, they would not accept some students, even if they were good and fast, if they didn’t have good character. I see it now. I’ve seen people get fired from their jobs or lose a lot in life because of their character. Even myself, when I slip on my character, I feel the consequences and I know I should learn. Character is important.”
Part of Brown’s is to pay it forward.
He will be part of a nine-person class recognized during the annual All-Sports Reunion weekend, with the Hall of Fame Induction set for Friday, Oct. 27. The following day, the entered class will be recognized on the field during the State Pride football game with Air Force.
A local product out of Colorado Springs, Brown became a five-time All-American in his career as a Ram from 2010-14. He won seven Mountain West championships and still holds the record in the 110-meter hurdles for the program. A Nye Trophy award winner, he would compete at the 2011 USA Junior Championships.
As proud of Brown’s accomplishments as an athlete, Bedard is just as pleased to hear Brown hasn’t changed a bit in his approach to life.
“He was always a kind-hearted guy. I knew he was getting more involved with his church, and that sounds like it’s part of it,” Bedard said. “It doesn’t surprise me. Hopefully as people become adults and they have a little extra time they want to give back. That’s what you’d like to see. That’s cool he’s gone in that direction.
“I think every coach I hire I want them to understand we’re here to serve the student-athletes and hopefully life coach them to some degree. Sometimes you wonder how much it’s sticking. Is the effort we’re pouring into the student-athlete, is it going to be realized and is it going to help? Are we going to help them grow into adults and develop these characteristics, character stuff we’re going to pass on? Later you have a former student-athlete come back and say it may not have seemed like I was hearing what you were saying, but I was, and it did make a difference.”
Brown has set out to do just that.
He and his wife, Angela, currently live in Davenport, Iowa. He’s bounced around the country since he graduated, and he’s now working for Quad City Freight. He and his wife first started to date after doing volunteer work through their church, which led him to the one thing he says he’s most passionate about now, doing volunteer work through the International WeLoveU Foundation
“I originally networked with them through my church. Once I started doing a blood drive first, I was invited back, and I liked it, so I kept going,” Brown said. “I had never gotten a chance to see how excited people are for those behind the scenes. These events are really big and exciting. They make an event of it, so it’s really memorable. Once you get involved, it’s really easy to stay involved.
“I think everyone feels that joy of giving to others. It’s Ubuntu, an African saying, humanity to others. What it means is I am because of who we all are. That has stuck with me. I feel people who are older than us say back in my day we didn’t have these kind of problems, and now I’m like, back in my day, we could have fixed some of these problems.”
I look up to the people who want to make a change.Trevor Brown
He’s done blood drives around the United States for the organization, which tackles an array of outreach projects, be they basic local needs or answering the call in a time of tragedy. The more he does, the more he’d like to branch out with the group, even someday taking part in an international event.
His first experience goes back to his time at Colorado State, when teammate Ashley Reid held a Lupus Walk event on campus in honor of her sister.
“That led me in this direction,” he said. “I’ve heard of people going to the Peace Corps, and I thought it sounds cool, but I never had the opportunity. Now, I can do those things in my community. I look up to the people who want to make a change.”
A lot of what he feels he attributes to what he learned about being a successful athlete.
He did joke, however, the pandemic reminded him to find the time to remain in shape. Not that he has to win any titles these days, but feeling good feels right, in body and soul.
“When you go out into the world to work, make a living, it’s still the mindset you gain from being an athlete, practicing every day, going above and beyond,” he said. “Mental toughness is still necessary in everyday work or even advancing in your hobbies.
“When I’m just too busy, I don’t look for it all because I’m already focused on too many things.”
The call from CSU Director of Athletics Joe Parker gave him one more thing to focus on, taking him down memory lane and where a lot of who he is started to develop.
It reminded him of the friends he made, the coaches who pushed him and the teammates who challenged him to pave a special path.
“The call came out of nowhere, so I wasn’t ready. It was hey, remember all that hard work you put in, it actually meant something, and you have an accomplishment now.,” he said. “That pretty much made my day.
“I’m sure most careers, everything we’ve done, even seen in our teammates, there’s no way I can forget anyone. For anyone also currently at CSU, they’re going to be remembered too.”
In Fort Collins, the kind-hearted kid was starting to walk a multidimensional path without fully understanding he was doing so. He never lost the feeling of people helping him to reach his goal, so it just feels right for him to return the favor in his community and beyond.