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ZEKE BRANDON: COURAGE UNDER FIRE 11/5/2003
ZEKE BRANDON: COURAGE UNDER FIRE Anyone who plays football for Vanderbilt is an unsung hero. True to the school’s rich academic heritage, the Commodores take the term “scholar-athlete” seriously when it comes to football, graduating an NCAA-best 90 percent of their players in a recent year — many times the percentage of players that de facto NFL apprenticeship programs manage to graduate. And since winning seasons have been so precious few in recent years, the players learn to deal with adversity unheard of in just about any other NCAA Division I-A football program. So all of them are what NHL coaches refer to as “character guys.” Senior fullback Zeke Brandon has been character personified this fall. His father Charles, who Zeke refers to as “my best friend,” is serving in the United States Army in Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit, Iraq, as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The younger Brandon rarely speaks of his situation. Many teammates don’t even know his Dad is over there. “It’s amazing, because if you didn’t know you wouldn’t know,” Vanderbilt play-by-play announcer Joe Fisher said as the Commodores prepared to face Georgia in mid-October. “He has carried on as if it was business as usual. We talked last week about what the hardest part was, and Zeke said it was when there was uncertainty of not knowing where the American soldiers even were.” Zeke has also borne up through the travails of a shoulder that has been injured since spring practice his sophomore season, cutting down on the number of snaps he can take on offense. He instead has specialized on the more anonymous but equally challenging role of special teams, a part he has played with remarkable courage and desire. Last year against Tennessee, Brandon also broke his kneecap. “Zeke has never complained, he goes out and tries to do it and he’s been doing it with a hurt shoulder,” head coach Bobby Johnson says. “We sure could use Zeke at fullback. It’d be great to have him in there. Zeke’s got some speed and can run the football, and for certain parts of the option to work we’ve got to have a fullback that can threaten.” Fact is, Coach Johnson would like to have Brandon return for a fifth year next fall — a fact that was news to Zeke since he thought his eligibility would be used up after this season and he is about to graduate. He’s been a four-year scholarship player here, first under Woody Widenhofer and the last two campaigns under Johnson. “Zeke has always done well in the role of special-teams player,” said his position coach, Charlie Fisher. “He embraces the fact that those are his few plays and he knows that and he’s going to get the most out of that. He’s battling a sore shoulder, and he has to have that taken care of before every game. It’s been a pain, he has a tear in there and he needs surgery after the season.” Against Chattanooga, Brandon finally got a chance to run from scrimmage. He carried the ball twice for a total of 16 yards, including a career-high 12-yarder as the ‘Dores rolled to a 51-6 triumph. Sadly, on that 12-yard run Brandon’s shoulder was pounded again and he was sidelined for a time. Faced with the dilemma of hanging it up or finishing out his senior season on the field, Brandon chose the tougher course. For the 6-1, 228-pounder from Copperas Cove, Texas, it was yet another sign of the guts he’s always had. Shortly after the injury Zeke was back in uniform and, though now limited to special-teams duty, he continued to lead by example on and off the football field. Justin Geisinger, the wonderful offensive tackle who like Brandon is one of the few seniors on this year’s youthful VU club, has enjoyed having Zeke as a teammate for four up-and-down seasons. “He’s a great guy, he seems to always do the right thing,” Geisinger says. “You don’t hear much about him, which is usually a good thing, because that means he’s doing the right thing. He seems to think his Dad’s over there doing the right thing for his country. He doesn’t seem to show any fear about it or emotion.” The big tackle added: “That makes you think a little bit about what the game’s all about it, that there are things more important in life. Zeke came in with my class and has never been a guy who’s started or gotten a lot of reps. But he’s a competitor, he goes out and he accepts his role.” Brandon, who turned the ripe old age of 22 on October 27, finds it hard to believe his Vanderbilt football career is nearing its end. “It seems like it’s been 10 minutes, honestly. I really can’t believe it,” he said. “Everything went so fast. It’s been tough, but for some reason it seems like yesterday I just showed up here. Game Day, I’m gonna miss that a lot. One of the main things I’m gonna miss is the locker room and the team camaraderie. Being around those guys all the time is the greatest thing about any kind of sport.” Like so many Vanderbilt players, Brandon has also been a role model in the Nashville community. He has helped many freshmen and sophomores on the football team adjust to campus life and to the rigors of the SEC. He’s also volunteered on campus, helping Music City’s underprivileged kids with the Backfield in Motion program. “Honestly, Nashville is the greatest city you could ever ask for to go to college in,” he says. “I’m planning on staying here after I graduate.” Brandon grew up both in East Tennessee and in Texas, where his father was stationed at Fort Hood. His Dad grew up a Tennessee fan, but now “absolutely despises” the Volunteers and bleeds Black and Gold. Sergeant First Class Charles Brandon didn’t join the Army until he was past 30. He had been a firefighter until then. Zeke is able to keep close tabs on his Dad through E-mails, a real godsend during Operation Iraqi Freedom. “We’re very close,” Zeke said. “You try not to dwell on his situation. It was a lot harder earlier on. He seems pretty safe right now.” All the Commodores have felt pretty safe with Zeke Brandon around the last four seasons.
Phil Sweetland covers Vanderbilt for The Sports Network and Westwood One. He writes about country music for The New York Times. |
