Dexter Brown might have looked like he didn’t belong at the Ottawa Sooners’ training camp when he showed up with no equipment and a flight booked to head home the next day.
But that one tryout was enough for the Sooners to offer him a roster spot, and he showed why the team was right to take a chance on him by blossoming into their top receiver.
“He ran practice that one night and we were all very impressed with him,” Sooners coach Matt Murfitt said. “We didn’t hear anything from him for a few weeks, so we called him to tell him how interested we were and soon he joined us full-time.”
“I come to Ottawa to visit my dad every summer and we talked about possibly playing down here,” Brown said.
“So I bought some cleats and gloves, and I went to the tryout with them in only a t-shirt and shorts. Forty-five minutes in, coach Murfitt told us that was all he needed to see.”
Brown’s play not only caught the attention of those involved with the league, it also caught the eye of several scouts, including Ravens head coach Steve Sumarah.
“Prior to him playing for the Sooners he wasn’t on our radar at all,” Sumarah said. “He’s got the ability to step in right away, and he’s played at a lot of high levels of football. His play on the field will allow him to be a quiet leader for us.”
Brown said one of the reasons he tried out for the Sooners was because he wanted to go to Carleton.
“I didn’t have any plans on going to Carleton when they didn’t have a football team to be honest, but once I got word they were getting there team back and seeing the hype for it around the city for the rebirth of the program, I just knew this was the school I wanted to go to,” he said.
Brown, 19, was hardly an unknown in the Canadian football community when he joined the Sooners, regularly playing on Alberta’s junior provincial football teams since being introduced to football at the age of 13.
Even though he brought in quite a pedigree to Sooners camp, Brown said he felt he had a lot to prove after making the move to Ottawa.
“I actually tore my ACL in the last game of my senior season,” the Sherwood Park, Alta. native said. “On one of the last plays of the game, I made a cut and heard something pop, and it forced me to actually miss an entire season of football after surgery and rehab.”
Moving to a new city also brought a few challenges, he said, but he emphasized how he was more excited to get new opportunities.
“Being new to the team, it was cool not having anyone know what I could do. It was like a fresh start,” he explained.
But he admits even he was not expecting the success he would achieve in his first season with the Sooners, leading the team with 427 receiving yards and the entire league with a ridiculous 26.7 average yards per catch.
“I was a bit surprised with what I did this year, but I put a lot of work in and knew I was capable of doing it,” he said.
Brown led the Sooners’ receiving core throughout the season thanks to his tremendous chemistry with quarterback Jesse Mills. The duo played a significant role in helping the Sooners earn a berth in the Ontario Football Conference (OFC) playoffs.
Sumarah said he is excited to add Brown into what is shaping up to be a very strong recruiting class filled with several Sooners players.
“I think the most important thing is making sure you have team chemistry, and sometimes that takes time to develop,” Sumarah said. “But having a core group of guys who have already played together sure makes a big difference in making a team strong.”
“Playing with these guys already, we all know each other, and we all know what we can do, so I think that’s a huge advantage going into next year,” Brown said.
Brown’s long journey to the Ravens began with a last minute tryout in a t-shirt and shorts. Now, he said he could not be more excited to don the Ravens jersey next fall.
“I thought it would be so cool to be one of the starting few who are a part of the entire rebuilding of a program, and I’m so excited to get this opportunity,” he said. “We have a long journey ahead of us, but I believe we can build something great.”
