By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After spending most of his life as a multi-sport athlete, former Shawnee Heights standout Tyce Brown became a full-time football player prior to the 2022 season for Washburn University.
Former Shawnee Heights multi-sport standout Tyce Brown is looking forward to moving into a starting role for Washburn at receiver this fall. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
It's a decision the 6-foot, 185-pound wide receiver feels has, and will continue, to pay dividends this fall and beyond.
"For sure,'' said Brown, who began his college career in baseball at Xaver before briefly playing both baseball and football at WU. "Having a spring this year, it was huge. I got to get a lot of time with Kellen (Simoncic, Washburn quarterback) and just get to know the receivers more, get to know the whole room more because you've got a lot of new faces and just get with the coaches and hash out those details and those things I need to clean up this year.''
In his second year with the Washburn football team Brown was a solid backup, playing in 10 games and recording 23 catches for 250 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 10.9 yards per catch.
Brown had a career-high 68 receiving yards and seven catches against Central Oklahoma.
"I'm always eager for more, there's always room for improvement, but I was happy I was able to get on the field and get that experience in front of the crowd,'' said Brown, who has 30 career catches for 347 yards. "It was awesome playing in my hometown in Topeka, but I'm always looking to get better.''
With All-American JJ Letcher and standout Peter Afful graduating after the '22 season, Brown knows that it's up to him and the rest of the Washburn receivers to take up the slack.
Topekan Tyce Brown caught 23 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns last season for the 7-4 Ichabods. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
"We've all been having conversations about that and that's been all the talk all summer, so we're looking forward to taking that challenge head on,'' said Brown, who has two years of eligibility remaining.
Washburn coach Craig Schurig said Brown is ready to step into a more prominent role for the Ichabods.
"With JJ and Peter gone, now he's a starter and he and Collin Wilson should lead us with the receiving corps,'' Schurig said. "And he's a frontline starter, just behind some really good players last year.
"He's talented, a very gifted athlete and has great hands and runs great routes.''
Brown was also a basketball standout at Shawnee Heights, helping the T-Birds win the Class 5A state championship in 2017.
And while Brown is done playing basketball, he may not be completely done with that sport.
Brown's older brother, Trey, is starting his first season as Hayden's boys coach and Tyce said he is open to joining his brother's coaching staff if the offer is made.
"That would be a dream of mine and my parents and my family,'' Tyce Brown said. "I think that would be an awesome experience and something I couldn't turn down, at least try.''
