New 'Dog Travis Brown carries father's legacy

Published online on Wednesday, Aug. 05, 2009

Travis Brown can still hear his father's voice.

Every morning, he can see his father's face.

Day by day, the 19-year-old Fresno State freshman tightly holds onto the memories of his dad, Dan, the school's longtime defensive coordinator who died in March after a long battle with brain cancer.

And as Brown prepares for his first Fresno State fall football practice Thursday, the highly touted linebacker still searches for quiet spots to go to and remember his father's advice once more.

"I know what I have to do, because I know what he'd say," Brown said last week as he sat inside his Fresno-area home. "He'd tell me that my feet aren't right and my pad level is too high -- even if I made a great play. He'd tell me to do my best on the field and in class and set my goals high.

"He'd tell me that he loved me, and I wish I could tell him that I love him right back."

Then, Brown paused and a tear slid down his face.

Like the memories, the pain never goes away.

"I just wish ... I wish he was still here in person to tell me all of those things again," Brown said. "I miss him."

Brown's road to recovery remains long, with no guarantee he'll ever find peace. Does anyone completely heal from such a loss?

Then there's the matter of a Division I college football season, which for the Bulldogs starts Sept. 5, and Brown's expected key role in the short- and long-term future of the Fresno State program.

The former Clovis West High star, a four-star recruit on a five-star scale, is considered a cornerstone who could contribute as soon as this year.

"Travis Brown might be as good of a linebacker to come out of the Valley in the last 13 years," Bulldogs coach Pat Hill said on national signing day in February. "He's an outstanding football player that I think will be an impact player for us early in his career. We're very, very fortunate to have [him]."

Coaches and teammates -- many of them also devastated by Dan Brown's death -- say they'll understand if the prowess remains just promise for a while.

"This season will be very emotional for us, especially Travis," junior linebacker Nico Herron said. "It'd be different if coach Brown had left for some other school. But he left to go to heaven. That's tough. We'll all be cheering for [Travis] to have a good season."

No escape

It is on the field where players and coaches typically can set aside their personal issues.

That doesn't work for Travis Brown. Football is what reminds him most of his dad.

As a youngster, Brown would hang around the sidelines of Bulldog Stadium on game days and at Fresno State's practice field on random summer nights.

The sport was a passion they shared and it became a dream, that one day the father would coach his son. Brown said he believes his father turned down interviews and offers from NFL teams and bigger universities over the years partly for that chance that the two could unite at Fresno State.

When Brown officially signed his letter of intent in February, his mom and dad were by his side. They all smiled for the flashing cameras, with Dan and Travis Brown both wearing matching Bulldogs red warm-up jackets.

It turned out to be one of Dan Brown's final public appearances.

"I came to Fresno State pretty much 100% to play for my dad," said Travis Brown, who chose Fresno State despite offers from Pac-10 schools. "That always was my dream to play for him. I almost got to live it."

Dan Brown coached for two seasons while battling his disease. He underwent surgery to remove part of the tumor in summer 2007, yet rarely skipped practice and missed just one game.