PROVO — Curtis Brown is a kind, sensitive and determined man. But at times, if in the right mood, he can be loquacious as a senator. With the football, he can be deadly.
Whatever element of confidence Brown projects, in whatever form, BYU head football coach Bronco Mendenhall backs Brown up on and off the field. An LDS convert, Brown is the only Cougar player not to serve a church mission who is invited by coaches to speak at Friday team firesides on the road. He is BYU's leading rusher, on track to finish as one of the best in school history.
For his part in resurrecting the Cougar running game, lifting the Cougars to four wins in five games and producing the top scoring offense in the Mountain West Conference, Brown is the Deseret Morning News Athlete of the Month for October.
"I think there's a number of things that make him a good running back," Mendenhall said.
"He has the right physical abilities and there are a lot of college football players with the right physical abilities, but he has a tremendous work ethic. He pays attention to detail. He is diligent and he's conscientious in doing what he's coached to do with an attitude of improvement. Those things, in players with ability, are what makes the difference in a productive team leader and those are what he does."
Brown has rushed for 789 yards on 153 carries for a 5.2-yard average with 10 touchdowns.
He chipped off 147 yards rushing against Colorado State and 219 yards against Air Force. His 104 yards in a comeback win over New Mexico spurred the Cougars to four straight league wins.
With two — possibly three — games left in 2005, Brown is one 100-yard game away from tying a school record for 100-yard games (10). Doak Walker Award winner (2001) Luke Staley is the only other Cougar runner to have 10.
"Curtis doesn't want to be brought down by one guy," according to junior quarterback John Beck. "He has that fire in his eyes and he just wants to make plays and run people over. One thing that Curtis does real well is break tackles. He's not a huge back, 230 pounds or anything like that, but he just won't let one guy take him down and he's set on that."
Beck praised Brown for his work ethic in practice and leadership. Although practice isn't a situation where people are trying to tackle him, Beck said Brown runs at game speed anyway.
Brown speaks his mind if he doesn't like practice. Beck said on many occasions, Brown has shared concerns with him and after agreeing on a tact, has gone before the team to tell it like it is — away from coaches.
In other regards, Brown is a quiet leader whom his teammates respect.
Those close to Brown say his true colors are shown in his respect for senior teammate Fahu Tahi. He never fails to praise him and respect him and see that he takes the lead on the team as a proven leader.
He's got a routine going with roommate Jake Kuresa, a giant offensive tackle. When Brown scores, he runs past Kuresa, who is there to celebrate the score. He did it against Air Force and UNLV. This past week, Kuresa told Brown, "Hey, you did it to me again. For a 340-pound lineman to sprint 50 yards to congratulate you is no easy thing."
Kuresa, Bryce Mahukia and Brown live in the same apartment and are known to be a fun gang. Brown is a neat freak and is always harping about keeping the place spotless. He's also disciplined at doing homework. He has coached two grade school flag-football teams the past two summers. One of them is 20-0 (Westridge Elementary in Provo).
Brown once went to a barbecue hosted by Japanese foreign exchange students at Utah Valley State College. The Japanese director of the foreign exchange event was enthralled at Brown and wanted to have a picture taken with the player.
She vowed she'd hang it in her bedroom. Sensing a situation to take advantage of, Kuresa and Mahukia reportedly egged the woman on, getting her to beg Brown to take off his shirt and show his muscles. Brown refused. She kept begging. Brown declined. Then after it became a joke, Brown finally agreed to be the model and the woman went crazy as if Brown was Adonis or Apollo, all to the delight of his roommates, who were rolling on the ground laughing.
Brown has adopted friends in Provo and Orem and is close to one couple who thinks of him first when they want a baby sitter.
"The first person we think of is Curtis," said Cory Shelley.
When Shelley's wife went into labor, Curtis was there almost the whole time to support the couple. He wasn't aware that protocol called for non-family members to leave before delivery and was one of the last to depart the hospital.
Today, the baby Kaleb loves Brown, who is considered his godfather.
This past summer, Brown passed a test to become a mortgage banker and works part-time in the summer for First Colony Mortgage in Orem.
BYU defensive lineman Vince Feula said Brown hides behind BYU's big linemen and that makes him an effective runner with the ball.
"He kind of finds his way," Feula said. "He's quick, agile and reads blocks really well. That makes him a good running back."
Brown, only a junior, could very well brand his name in Utah Valley in myriad ways. The most notable is the record book. But he's doing plenty on the side to keep the natives trading favorite Curtis Brown anecdotes that are sure to increase as time goes by.
October highlights
Rushed for 219 yards and 4 TDs against Air Force.
Ran for 147 yards and a pair of TDs in a win over CSU.
Ran for 104 yards and a score on 20 carries vs. New Mexico.
Had 5 catches and 75 yards of total offense at Notre Dame.
Helped BYU to a 3-2 record in October.
2005 Athletes of the month
January — Andrew Bogut, Utah basketball
February — Spencer Nelson, USU basketball
March — Annabeth Eberle, Utah gymnastics
April — Nick Becker, BYU golf
May — Mike Reid, Champions Tour golfer
June —Brian Gordon, Salt Lake Stingers baseball
July — Clay Ogden, U.S. Public Links golf champion
August — Jason Kreis, Real Salt Lake
September — Eric Weddle, Utah football
October — Curtis Brown, BYU football
E-mail: dharmon@desnews.com