Although they are the only players to make ball contact with their feet, kickers are often overlooked in football. McGill football’s fourth-year kicker Findlay Brown, however, has been grabbing headlines after converting all three of his field-goal attempts on Sept. 28’s homecoming game and claiming his sixth RSEQ player of the week award. Despite his accolades, Brown knows there are a lot of other excellent players in the league. 

“I am honoured to be recognized in a crowded field of talented kickers, such as Université de Montréal’s Louis-Philippe Simoneau and Western’s Marc Liegghio,” Brown said. “I like to think I’ve been playing well recently, but I honestly don’t know how I stack up against these guys. My goal is to keep on improving and be the best player that I can be.”

Brown comes from an accomplished and competitive family. The Winnipegger is the eldest of three brothers, the youngest of whom is also a U Sports kicker, while the middle sibling finished third in the World Championship of Public Speaking and was a Canadian National Debating Champion. Despite his credentials, Brown insists he wins more arguments because he is not afraid to play dirty.

The kicker is not shy to brag about other facets of his life. The man that dubbed himself “The Enforcer” likes to remind McGill’s starting quarterback Dimitrios Sinodinos that he ran the 20m sprint faster than him on two occasions. 

Outside of football, Brown enjoys politics, soccer, and music, but he’s most passionate about movies and TV series. He has a particular fondness for Casablanca, The Godfather and La La Land. Brown also has strong opinions about TV shows.

 “Friends isn’t that good,” Brown said. “People should watch Parks and Recreation instead, it’s so much better.”

Brown believes that his fascination with motion pictures comes from his father, who is the CEO of a production company.

“Growing up, I was exposed to many movies, so it definitely piqued my interest,” Brown said. “But it’s only when I moved to Montreal that I rediscovered my love for film.”

Montreal is also where he had to learn to live by himself. Brown disclosed that it was hard at the beginning, especially during dinner time. He often indulged in large quantities of Kraft Dinner.

“My mom is an unbelievable chef,” Brown said. “It kills her every day the fact that I am a terrible cook.”

Except for the mediocre culinary skills, Brown’s transition to Quebec was fairly smooth. He quickly got settled, made some new acquaintances and started to discover the city. Football was instrumental in this transition.

“Football brings to your life friends, a sense of community, structure and a purpose,” Brown said.” From the outside it may seem silly, but we spend so much time together to accomplish one common goal, it feels like a second family.”

While sports, especially football, are known to bring people together, kickers often feel isolated from the team because of their unique position. However, Brown says this has not been the case for him.

“Yes, there are jokes thrown around, but I’ve never felt left out,” Brown said. “While on other teams it might [be] the case, at McGill, I know my teammates have had my back since day one.”

Brown is a smart, funny and talented individual. Not only is he excelling on the field, but also in the classroom and his personal life.

“When I finish here at McGill, I would like to produce movies or TV series, but who knows what’s next?,” Brown said. “In the meantime, I’ll just keep doing my best to help the team achieve our ultimate goal: Winning the Vanier Cup.”