Document text
Brown hopes to aim high at Air Force By TIM TROWER Kelly Brown is flying high these days, and he hopes to be doing so for a long time to come. Brown, whose kicking helped North Medford advance to the Class 4A state championship football game last fall, has received an appointment to the Air Force Academy, where he'll resume his playing career. His leg could give him a leg up on a career as a pilot. "I'd love to fly," says Brown, who earlier this month completed the paperwork to play for the Falcons of the Western Athletic Conference. "I'd really like to try F-16s. That would be the plane of choice. Not everybody who goes there has to go into a flying career, but they would prefer they do that." Brown, who was third-team all-state, is among the latest of the Black Tornado players to solidify his college plans. Another, quarterback Kevin Foreman, has decided on Linfield. Two others, linebackers Matt Havniear and Curtis Stout, were on Southern Oregon University's recruiting list announced last week. Brown, who as a senior made 63 of 66 extra points and four field goals, including a 42-yarder against Roseburg, had a goal of playing Division I football from the outset. But he had to warm up to the idea of committing to a service academy. Those who do must stay on with that branch for a time following school. At Air Force, it's five years of duty for those who don't enter pilot training, 11 years for those who do. "I wasn't too excited about it, really," he said. "I was more nervous than anything about the aspect of going to war, if that were ever to happen. But there are so many good things that can come out of it, too. I think the good outweighs the bad by a lot." The first good thing will be the home opener. Brown, who doesn't expect to make it to the playing field for a year or two, unless injuries require it, will nevertheless be in attendance when the Falcons start the 2001 season as host to defending national champion Oklahoma. Had a Division I opportunity not presented itself, Brown was prepared to walk on at Oregon State, where his parents went to school. His father, Rob, wrestled for the Beavers. Brown visited the Air Force campus in Colorado Springs, Colo., and watched the team's kickers practice. "They were decent," he says, "but it didn't seem like anything that wasn't achievable. A lot of the difference between a 19- and 22-year-old is body strength." Brown, who is 6-foot, 165 pounds, squats 400 pounds and has been working out regularly to improve his strength. He also kicks about three times a week to keep his leg in shape. His high school coach, Rod Rumrey, says Brown attended nearly every camp he could while in high school and exhibited "really great dedication for us." The coach was comfortable using Brown from 40 yards out on field goals and believes the long kick at Roseburg would have been good from another 8-10 yards. Foreman, meanwhile, will be joining a program Rumrey believes is suited to him. North Medford offensive coordinator Brent Barry, who played and coached at Linfield, helped hook Foreman up with Wildcats head coach Jay Locey. "That could be an awfully good place for him," says Rumrey. "The style of offense they've run in the past, with a lot of play-action passing, is a strength of Kevin's." Linfield, he says, was impressed with Foreman's intelligence and his ability to read defenses and adjust at the line of scrimmage. Foreman was named to the all-state third team. He completed 56 percent of his passes for 1,777 yards, ran for 692 yards and had 43 touchdowns passing and rushing. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.