This football season you will see a new name and a new gender on the varsity football roster. Dez Brown is a senior at BSM this year and is the only female on the football team. You might recognize her as the former manager for the past two years for the team and also as the infamous rapper “Dez Brownies ‘N’ Milk,” but now you can see her wearing the red and white number 46 jersey, running and tackling with all her male teammates.

This isn’t Brown’s first time playing football either; it is a sport she also enjoyed playing in her childhood. “I first started playing in fourth grade because I thought it would be fun. Now, I started football again because I missed it and wanted to play my senior year,” said Brown.

Brown loves everything about being part of the team, including practices and games. “I’m there for the team and to play football,” said Brown. “But if I had to choose my favorite parts about being on the team, I would have to say practices because of the social part and being able to get in and make or break a play, and games because I think the warm-ups are really fun and I get to be more involved.”

Trying out for the team was no problem for Brown, especially because she already had made a name for herself with the coaches and players as a past manager. “Allowing me to try [out] was no issue and they treated me like everyone else.” Although, this isn’t the first time the football coaches have dealt with a female on the team.

Jill Reuter (03) was the first girl to go out for the team, which was a shock for most of the boys, but she ended up surprising many people. “She was very good. She knocked boys down all the time. It was funny to watch her do that,” said head coach Jon Hanks. Reuter quit the team after tenth grade to play hockey, because that was her main sport. “It was too bad she quit, because if she would have continued playing she definitely would have gotten a lot of playing time as a senior,” said Hanks.

Brown not only is getting the privilege to be one of the only female players to be on the team, but she is also representing the number 46, which means a lot to her while she’s playing. “My sister dated this guy named Rufus Smith who was an outside line backer for the Minnesota Gophers and wore the number 46. He was a nice guy who I really looked up to, like an older brother I’ve never had,” said Brown.

Brown is having a fun time and is grateful she is a member of the team during her final year at BSM. “I’m looking forward to a good strong season, but I don’t want to focus on the future because I can’t make it there if I don’t pay attention to the present,” said Brown.