Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
HOUSTON — In a signing day speech to a crowd of about 500 at Legacy School of Sports Sciences, Mike Brown, a fleet wide receiver, quoted Psalms 1:1-4.
Those scriptures compare the righteous to a prosperous tree, which consistently bears fruit.
“This relates with me because by staying in the Lord and staying in your word and constantly trying to build your relationship with Him you become like a tree planted by streams of water,” Brown said. “Meaning, you have everything you need to prosper, produce good fruits and to not wither.”
Mike Brown aspires to be like the tree.
That’s indeed admirable. But Texas A&M football fans want him to be like his family tree.
Mike continued something of a family tradition on Wednesday when he signed the paperwork to accept a football scholarship with Texas A&M.
His father, Reggie Brown, once a first-round draft choice of the NFL’s Detroit Lions, was an All-Southwest Conference linebacker for A&M in the mid-90s.
His mother, Kerrie Patterson-Brown, played basketball for the Aggies.
“That is, as a parent, very rewarding,” Kerrie said. “You’re looking at your child who does what he’s supposed to, takes care of his business. And he’s going to the school that he wants to go to and wants him.
“All those things just make for a good feeling. It makes you feel, as a parent, you did what you’re supposed to do.”
Reggie — still big, still imposing — stood in the gymnasium at Legacy, the school he and his wife founded, taking in the signing ceremony for nine athletes.
Surely, it brought back memories of his signing day at Reagan High School in Austin.
Well, maybe not. He just remembered faxing the letter from the principal’s office.
“Trying to recall mine is tough enough,” Reggie said.
Obviously, Mike’s signing day will be more memorable.
“It’s more surreal,” Reggie said. “Me and my wife both going to A&M never even thinking, ‘OK, we’ll have some kids, and maybe one of our kids will end up going to A&M, let alone play at A&M…’
“It’s kind of refreshing, but I still can’t believe it. It goes back to that surreal moment. He’s really about to go. We’re really about to be in the stands watching our son play there. It’s just a big moment for us.”
It’s a moment Mike has been working hard to attain, but working hard comes naturally to him. There are higher-rated and more heralded receivers in A&M's recruiting class, but none may work harder than Mike.
Ask anyone about Mike, and the first thing mentioned is his work ethic.
“He has a tremendous work ethic,” Reggie said. “He’s been blessed, obviously, with some great physical tools. His mom played basketball. I played football, so his genetics were always there. But his work ethic and his consistency is probably what stands out the most.
“I think that goes right along with that ‘blue collar, I’m going to bring my hard hat and my lunch pail and go to work every day’ mentality. He’s consistent in almost everything he does.”
Legacy coach Michael Bishop, who once was a Heisman Trophy finalist at Kansas State, shared Reggie’s sentiments.
“It’s his hard work and dedication,” Bishop said. “(He’s) consistently working on a day-to-day basis, enjoying the game and living the dream. When put in a situation, he’s going to rise to the occasion and play well. That’s what’s so exciting about Mike Brown.”
It’s also exciting that Mike Brown has the speed A&M coach Mike Elko craves for his receivers. Brown reportedly runs a 4.4 40-yard dash.
He can do more than just run fast, too.
During his career at Legacy, the 6-foot, 182-pounder, rated a four-star prospect by ESPN, caught 147 passes for 2,869 yards. That’s a whopping 19.5 yards per catch. He also had 35 touchdowns, and almost one in four catches resulted in scores.
Mike Brown remembers the day he realized he could play at the highest level of college football. It was two years ago at a University of Oklahoma camp.
“I was a sophomore. I was going against a bunch of seniors,” Mike recalled. “I don’t like want to toot my own horn, but I was, like, destroying them. I was doing well, really well, against them.
“And I envisioned myself doing this anywhere. A&M was always on my mind. So I envisioned myself in that field, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I can definitely play there, and I would love to be there.’”
So, he did what he always does. He worked hard. The hard work paid off on Wednesday.
But Mike vowed the work isn’t finished. He’ll enroll at A&M in January and will immediately go to work.
“I’m just expecting to work hard… like off the get-go,” he said. “Even if we’re not supposed to be working out, I’m going to find a way to work out to get better, so I can be prepared when it’s time.”
Then the Aggies can reap the fruits of his labor. Don’t be surprised if he eventually produces a lot of fruit.
Kind of like a prosperous tree planted by streams of water.
