It Only Takes One: Sean Brown's Story

September 26, 2016 — Oxford, Miss.

Sean Brown felt his knee turn to fire and his soccer season flash before his eyes in one single play. It was the final scrimmage before club soccer season and just before he would start his junior year for the Oxford Chargers. A 50/50 ball between Sean and an opposing team member led to an awkward collapse that solidified something was not right.

Sean Brown, centerback for Oxford High School, is gearing up for his senior season. Photo by Stennett Smith

“My knee kind of twisted and broke inside almost. I heard it, and people around me heard this big pop you know and a crunch, and that was my meniscus and ACL,” Sean says of the moment it happened.

Sean tore his ACL and both his meniscus in just one turn. There was no doubt he needed surgery, and he missed both his 2015 club soccer season and his junior season for the Oxford Chargers. According to Bob Brown, Sean’s dad, the first feeling was something like disbelief.

“I think it was difficult at first for him to go watch them (his teammates) play. He wanted to be there and support them, but it was also a pretty tough reminder that he couldn’t play, and that he wouldn’t be able to for a long time,” his dad said.

For Sean, soccer has been a huge part of his life since he was a kid. He has played club soccer in Oxford or Tupelo since he was 9 years old, and he started training with the Oxford High School team as a junior high student. It was more than just his sport, it was something his life revolved around.

“I absolutely hated being on the sidelines,” Sean said. A time that was especially difficult was watching Oxford lose their final game of the season and be eliminated from playoffs, not being able to do anything about it. “It was just a really tough thing to know that you have the ability to make a difference, but you physically can’t.”

The reality of team sports is that a lot of the camaraderie that develops is because of what the players fight through together on the field. While he was always a part of the team, it wasn’t quite the same when he wasn’t actually playing. This was pivotal to Sean, but his teammates were supportive and encouraging throughout his injury.

“I didn’t want them to look down on me like I was broken or something. The healing process was something I wanted to do myself,” Sean says.

After the initial shock passed, Sean was ready to take his same mentality and work ethic that he has for soccer to work hard at his recovery. He always knew he would get back on the field. He spent a month of his life on crutches, went to physical therapy the day after his surgery, and from then on he went three days a week for about seven months.

“I’m not going to lie, it really sucked,” Sean says on his physical therapy.

It wasn’t easy, but Sean never got to a point where he wanted to give up. He had a good relationship with his trainer, even on the days when he was a little cranky.

Now, Sean is fully rehabilitated and has been practicing after school for his senior season with the Chargers. They have a solid group of juniors as well as some very talented 9th and 10th graders who are lead by four strong seniors.

“When a team plays Oxford, I want them to leave feeling like they played a fantastic team,” Head Coach for the Oxford Chargers Charles Sabatier says. “We also want to win district and make a good run for state.”

Sean too is hoping for a successful season with a state championship to cap off his career. He will take the field as center back for the Chargers when their season begins this October.