.ByPatForde on how one heartbreaking decision by Chase and Sydney Brown’s mother, and the kindness of host families in Florida, helped the twin brothers fulfill their dreams of playing football
It was time to go. Time to get back into her stepfather’s Lincoln Town Car for a 1,300-mile drive home, from Florida to Canada, and Raechel Brown could barely tolerate what she was doing. “I’m going to shove these kids back in the car,” she thought to herself.
So she drove away, back to London, Ontario, where the family had lost their home. Chase and Sydney had to leave to pursue a future that included high-level football and greater stability. Canada was a hard place for players to get noticed by U.S. universities, and the family’s monetary situation had deteriorated.Twins Chase and Sydney were born two minutes apart in London, Ontario.
On Monday, Karen and Raechel talked on the phone. On Tuesday, the Browns began their drive down to Florida. On Wednesday, the Browns and Yateses had dinner together at a restaurant. On Thursday, they toured the school and had dinner at the Yateses’ home. On Friday, Raechel said goodbye and began her bereaved drive home.Raechel got back into permanent housing, but money was still tight. And now there was a tuition bill to pay for Saint Stephen’s.
They are fastidious about nutrition, fanatical about workouts and driven to make the most of what likely will be their last football season together. “It’s something we’ve worked for, so it’s been well deserved, but the work’s not done,” Sydney says. “Still got a lot to go. We’re focused on Nebraska this week and the process for that game, but I can’t imagine what 9–1 would be like going into the Michigan game [Nov. 19].
Strong, fast and tough, the Brown brothers were well suited for football. Some of the men in their family had played football, including their father, Darren Isaac, but it was utterly foreign to Raechel. “It’s just not something kids from our part of the world get to experience,” she says, then laughs. “For a long time I didn’t even know what Sydney’s position is. I knew he stopped players from getting touchdowns, but that’s about it.
“To our sons, Chase and Sydney were superheroes,” Tom Cross says. “They thought it was the coolest thing ever. They set good examples. I’ve not encountered many people at 17 or 18 who were as hardworking and motivated as they were. They worked their butts off. Both were very aware of the opportunity they were presented with.”
They might have continued on those divergent paths if it weren’t for an unwelcome surprise Chase encountered at WMU: flight classes cost up to $60,000, and his scholarship wouldn’t cover those expenses. That spurred interest in transferring, and Sydney said good things about Illinois. Chase matriculated to Champaign, and the boys resumed living together.Ron Johnson/USA TODAY Sports
This season, it was clear from the start Chase would be the hub of the Illinois offense. The better the competition, the more he touches the ball—and the better the results. In three blowouts of nonconference competition, Chase averaged 19.7 carries. Against Big Ten competition, that number jumps to 33.3. And in the past two games, against Iowa and Minnesota, Chase has seven receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown.
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