By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Former Shawnee Heights three-sport standout Tyce Brown once had his heart set on being a college baseball player, committing to Division I Xavier before his junior season in high school.
Tyce Brown
But after one college season Brown made the decision to come home to Washburn, first as a dual sport athlete in baseball and football before deciding to concentrate on football.
It's a decision the 6-foot, 185-pound senior wide receiver will never regret.
"It's definitely been a journey,'' Brown said. "I've learned so many things along the way and just thankful to be in the place I am today and to meet the people I've met and just want to keep striving to be better.
"They welcomed me in with open arms -- Coach (Craig) Schurig and Coach (Jeff) Schwinn and Coach Wat (Zach Watkins) -- and I just fell in love with the bond here and the chemistry. I started to struggle a little bit in baseball and I was just happy every time I came out here for practice and just wanted more and more and that's kind of just how I ended up here today.''
Tyce Brown enters his fourth season at Washburn with 61 career receptions for 698 yards and five touchdowns. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Schurig knew of Brown's athletic abilities from his high school days at Shawnee Heights and said he was a perfect fit for the Ichabods.
"I was thinking he'd be a safety, to be honest, but we had depth there and moved him to receiver and he stepped right in and made plays right off the bat,'' Schurig said. "He's got a great feel, great ball awareness, all of those things, is a very good athlete and he's had a really good career.''
Entering his final season at WU Brown has compiled 61 career receptions for 698 yards and five touchdowns in 31 games and had a career-high 31 grabs for 357 yards and three TDs last fall.
"He was a guy last year that we could rely on,'' Schurig said. "We knew where Tyce was going to be and what he was going to be able to do week in and week out. He was a guy you could count on and I'm sure glad he's back for that senior year. He's a leader.''
Brown is proud but not necessarily surprised by what he's been able to accomplish for the Ichabods.
"I put the work in, whether it's summer, winter, whenever it is,'' Brown said. "Even in high school I loved football. I loved going in over the summer, I loved 7 on 7, so I put the time in and I know that's where the success comes from is putting the time in and doing it the right way.''
Brown is the dean of a talented Washburn receiving corps that also includes sophomores D.J. Bell, Maury Sullivan and Tre Richardson. Bell and Sullivan turned in impressive freshman seasons for the Ichabods last fall while Richardson earned All-America honors for Hutchinson Community College after being a multi-sport star at Highland Park.
"We've got some young guys who are some dogs, to say the least,'' Brown said. "My role with them is just try to help guide them, tell them what I've been through and how I handled this situation and what not.
"Those guys have a good head on their shoulders and they're going to be great players for Washburn.''
Brown's priority entering the 2024 campaign is to do whatever he can to cap his career with a bang.
"I just want to enjoy every moment out here,'' he said. "I know as soon as I walk on this field that last game of the year it's going to be really tough for me, so I'm just going to try and enjoy every moment with my players and my coaches.''
