HAYS – The reality of no traditional fall football season is starting to sink in for Fort Hays State head football coach Chris Brown. And while he would rather be preparing his team for a big season opening showdown with Northwest Missouri State, the Tigers 10th year head coach knows Friday’s decision by the MIAA to suspend all fall sports until January 1st is probably the right decision.
“It’s really about the safety of our players and the safety of our coaches and even the fans that come and watch us.” Brown said Tuesday in an interview for the “Defend the Fort” Podcast.
“It’s a part of the life that we live right now. It’s adversity, and we try to teach our players to overcome adversity and that’s exactly what we’re going to do right here.”
When the NCAA canceled Division II fall sports championships several weeks they also changed many of their health standards and protocols from recommendations to requirements. And while playing this fall was left to each conference, the new requirements were impossible for more small schools to meet.
Some of the requirements have been eased making practice this fall much more likely.
Brown knows his team will still have to meet both the NCAA and local health standards but is eager to get his team back on the field in any capacity.
“There’s no doubt in my mind we’re going to find a way to get these kids better.” Brown said. “It might be more Zoom meetings but we’re going to learn our offense, we’re going to learn our defense and we’re going to learn our special teams and our kids are going to get better through this process.”
Brown guided the Tigers to back-to-back MIAA titles in 2017 and 2018 and trips to the playoffs both seasons then followed that up with an 8-3 campaign last year. Now he’s hoping a global pandemic doesn’t slow the momentum they’ve gained.
“It’s different, but we’ve got to make the most of this situation and look at it as a positive light and go forward. We’ve got to continue to work. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. Life threw us a curve ball and we’ve got to hit it out of the park and get this thing done.” Brown said.
As for the possibility of playing in the spring, Brown says he keeps going back and forth.
“I want to do what’s best for the kids and if I can get our seniors an extra year to play all 11 games and have a chance at the playoffs that’s what I’d really like to do.”
“Maybe this spring we’re able to do some scrimmages or something like that against some other teams but not count against us for the season, or do we just to do two spring balls, one in the fall and one in the spring and get ready for the (2021) fall.