3-sport standout Mike Brown joins Sandusky athletic hall of fame

Mike Brown has always been about the team. The 2012 Sandusky graduate was an All-Ohio performer in three sports for the Blue Streaks and enjoyed a standout football career at Eastern Michigan University. Brown, who will be among the 2023 inductees in the Sandusky High School Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, faced a situation in his final season at EMU that best illustrated his outlook on sports and life. A new defensive line coach introduced himself by announcing that two junior college transfers and a transfer from Nebraska were on their way to Ypsilanti. "He said we have two starters in this room — Maxx Crosby, who now plays for the Raiders, and Pat O'Connor, who plays for the Buccaneers. Everyone else, you're free to transfer," Brown said. Brown, a defensive tackle and a two-year starter, wasn't going anywhere. In fact, he took a leadership role with the incoming JUCO players. "I taught them everything I knew. I stayed after workouts with them, went over plays with them. They were in a new environment," he said. "Me playing sports is about the team, helping out where I can, on the field, off the field. I want to be supportive and hold people accountable. "By building those relationships up front, I was able to have tough conversations about accountability because they knew I genuinely cared." Brown started every game in his last season and was a team captain. He helped EMU break a long bowl drought with an appearance in the 2016 Bahamas Bowl. The Eagles lost 24-20 to Old Dominion, but Brown had won the respect of line coach Chuck Bullough. "One of the last conversations I had with (Bullough) at the Bahamas Bowl, he came up to my mom and said, 'Mike's one of the best I've ever coached.' Everything came full circle. It was just awesome," Brown said. "I've never been the best guy on any team I've played for, but I've tried to be as selfless as possible." Brown earned five football letters at EMU (he played as a freshman before being issued a medical redshirt) and one in track & field. At Sandusky, he was a first-team All-Ohio offensive lineman in 2011. He placed seventh at heavyweight at the state wrestling tournament as a junior and placed fifth in the shot put at the state track meet in 2012. Brown finished his high school football career as a team captain at the Big 33 All-Star Game, an annual showcase that features the best players from Ohio and Pennsylvania. "I think Coach (Mike) Franklin was a huge factor in putting me on that team," Brown said. "I was playing with guys going to Ohio State, Cincinnati. They came up to me the day before the game and asked if I wanted to be the captain and go out for the coin toss. I said absolutely." Brown had a lot of success on the field of play, but he said what he misses most is the team. He fondly recalls volunteer coach Dick Schafrath, who was a Cleveland Browns legend, taking the Blue Streaks to the Brass Pelican for wings. "The times we were able to get together as a team were the highlights of my career," Brown said. "The games were awesome, but the best part was just being with the guys." Brown moved from Columbus to Sandusky when he was a toddler. His mom, Lisa Nolder, and Smith's two siblings, lived in the MacArthur Park neighborhood near Strobel Field. He said his mom will get special mention in his induction speech. "Coming from a single-parent household, we didn't have much, but everything we had she made us feel that it was normal," he said. "She taught us at a young age, just through her actions, you start something, you finish it. You give it your best." After college, Brown became a police officer. His first job was with the Eastern Michigan University department before taking a job with the Northville Township PD, west of Detroit. He is a resource officer at Northville High School. He said he was inspired to become a police officer because two of his line coaches at Sandusky — Ken Rankins and Chuck Shuff — were cops. "I looked up to those guys. They influenced me to become a police officer," Smith said. "It's an extremely rewarding career." Brown and his wife, Shelby, who was a field hockey player at Ball State, are expecting their first child, a daughter, in July. They live in Fenton, Michigan. Brown is looking forward to visiting Sandusky this weekend, and credits sports for helping him become a success. "Kids from Sandusky, sports is an outlet," he said. "It gives them a family, a sense of belonging and competition. It keeps them out of anything negative that's going on and gives them something to look forward to each day."