College football

From adversity comes his motivation

UF's Vernell Brown has worked hard in the eight weeks since breaking his leg so that he might play in a bowl game.

By ANTONYA ENGLISH
Published January 1, 2006

TAMPA - For as long as Vernell Brown can remember, the doubters have been there.

When he was playing Pop Warner football, stuffing sand in his shoes and weights in his girdle to make weight. When he was nearing the end of his high school career and recruiters questioned whether he could play Division I-A football. When he arrived at Florida, where it took him years to prove himself - again.

"Doubters have always been my motivation," said the 5-foot-8, 165-pound cornerback. "Always. You're always going to have people who tell you you can't do this, you can't do that. That's kind of my motivation when things get hard or things get tough, that's my motivation to keep going."

So it should come as no surprise that as he nears the end of his college career, adversity and doubt are again in the forefront.

Eight weeks ago, Brown broke his leg returning a punt against Vanderbilt. Doctors told him he was out for the remainder of the regular season. Maybe, they said, he had a shot at the bowl game.

When Florida plays Iowa on Monday in the Outback Bowl, Brown will be in the lineup, in a limited capacity. As a redshirt senior, it was the Gainesville native's sole motivation the past few weeks.

"It's very important to put on the orange and blue one more time," he said. "It will be my last time. So it's definitely important for me. I think that's what makes a great player, when you're able to bounce back from adversity."

Yes, he'll be in pain. Yes, his play will be hampered by the still healing fibula. But just as he promised his teammates, he'll be there for them one last time.

"When he first got hurt, he said he was coming back for the bowl game," sophomore linebacker Brandon Siler said. "I said, yeah, he'll be there because he said he would. Tough guy, tough guy. It shows he's a tough guy, being that small, playing at this level and playing as well as he does. That shows you right there he's that tough."

"I hoped and prayed that he got a shot to play one last time," senior defensive end Jeremy Mincey said. "He's recovering real well, he's coming along well. That's him. You can't hold Vernell down too long. He's a tough guy."

Brown, 23, returns to the Outback Bowl and to Raymond James Stadium, where he first became a household name with Gator fans - but not in the manner he wanted. Brown, a redshirt freshman in 2002, was part of an ill-conceived, infamous play against Michigan.

Former coach Ron Zook sent Brown into the game in the final minute. Brown threw a pass intended for then-quarterback Rex Grossman, but it was intercepted, sealing a 38-30 loss.

Florida fans talked about it for months. Brown forgot before he got home.

"All that stuff in the past I just kind of put it out of my mind," Brown said. "I'm playing for the future. You want to go out a winner and we have a chance to do that now."

Because of his size, it's easy to understand why he has had to battle his entire career. Brown was part of the receiver rotation and returned punts in 2002; he saw action in 10 games the next season. In 2004, he moved to cornerback and was the first player off the bench.

Urban Meyer and his staff saw something in him others hadn't.

"He was the best corner guy we had out there in practice," UF's first-year coach said. "Guys play the way they practice and he practiced hard."

"I knew all I needed was a chance," Brown said.

Brown started all nine games in which he played, returned a team-high 25 punts, was eighth on the team in tackles (34), second in pass breakups and had two interceptions.

"He's as valuable to our team as anybody," Meyer said. "That's why he went with us (on road games) even when he got hurt. We have a policy usually not to do that unless it's a person like that. ... He is the face of Florida football. He's what we want to recruit and the people we want to be around. When I go eat dinner tonight, he's the kind of person I want to sit next to. He's the kind of guy I want my children to sit next to when we're traveling together. "When he got hurt against Vanderbilt you saw the entire sideline, including myself, my shoulders just kind of dropped down. He's that valuable to us. It's great to have him back. The chemistry and the changes that are going on, you have to give credit to someone and he's at the top of the list."

Now he just needs to prove the doubters wrong one more time.

[Last modified January 1, 2006, 00:29:14]