Behind The Scenes Look At Spencer Brown’s American Dream Journey! | Buffalo Bills Beyond Blue & Red

Behind The Scenes Look At Spencer Brown’s American Dream Journey! | Buffalo Bills Beyond Blue & Red

I haven’t even sent these to him yet through the years. Garrett was the farm kid. Spencer, he was a farm kid, but he spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to not be a farm kid. Yeah. Yeah. Time flies. Goodness. Spencer as a person, he is loyal. He’s generous. He’s kind. He’s funny, but he’s inspiring. And he is one of the most humble and hardworking people that I’ve ever met. He’s got a work ethic, manly. All you could ask for in a son. As a football player, athleticism did start to show through very, very early. I could tell he was above and beyond your average athlete. He was just tall and thin. You know, we’ve always just looked up at him for so long. I think that’s what he figured out. Hey, you’re gifted. You have this talent to excel. So, when the goal became get bigger and play a new position that he’s never played before, that is what life became. So, Spencer had sent me this snap. I think he was in high school. He’s always been a believer in writing out his goals. It’s a way for him to visualize where he’s heading. I think that’s one of the greatest things that he did to start making goals into reality. He wanted to bench 440, squat 600, clean lift 380. Check. He wanted to be the first person from Linux to go division one. Check. He wanted to be in the top round three draft pick. Spencer Brown. He wanted to be able to take care of his parents and his family. Spencer Brown getting in a 4-year contract extension. Number one was to be a role model for the kids back home. You want to go from here to here. It all started with manifestation. He has no idea the impact he has on these kids. And he said, “Goals have been set. Time to make it happen.” Yes, I’m living uh an American dream for a kid that grew up on a farm in the middle of Iowa. [Music] Ow. Sit my head on that door. Good morning. Let’s go work out. We are going to drive approximately one mile into my hometown of Lennox, Iowa. [Music] Town of Lennox, Iowa. It’s roughly500 people. Super super small. The heart of America. You know, we’re right smack dab in the middle of the United States. Very laidback, very safe. Blueco collar town, open door policy. I don’t think anybody locks their doors in Linux, Iowa. what you would expect from a rural community. Everybody knows everybody. People stopping in your driveway just to say hello is kind of a normal occurrence. How are you? I’m good. How are you? He was one of my daycare kids. This is true. A very caring community, very supportive. A few years ago, a major tornado went through town and people just show up. Tornado activity pretty much, which is what the spring brings in Iowa. I had to like take a different route to get home and I just sat on the hill for like 15 minutes and watched it all roll in. Spencer had a old-fashioned upbringing. You know, get on the bike with five buddies and they’re fishing poles and ride to the nearest hole and fish. Lennox, Iowa, home of Spencer Brown. The relationship between Spencer and his cousins, Wade and Jake, is a pretty special one. They were very involved with the boys. Close with all our cousins. We just have a close family. And yep, Wade was playing catch with Spence. very very good role models. Going back when he was like I would say two, it was just obvious to me that he was just going to be a special athlete. I remember being in their front yard. He grabbed a whiffle ball type bat. Just start, you know, underhand pitching to him. He was lacing that thing and he’s only two and uh he’s hitting the ball that far. I can’t wait to see what happens. There were always baseball games, football games in the backyard, step out on the deck and whistle and they’d come home for a meal and go back out again. We all grew up together. Like in everything that we did, whether it was out here farming or playing sports, it’s your Hallmark movie. And that’s Spencer and who? Garrett. Garrett. Yeah. Mhm. This one, this is the best of all that we have. This was not a planned thing. It was just what we saw when we looked out the window. The boys were waiting for their dad. They were sitting out on the side of the the trailer waiting patiently for him to show up and I ran out and took a picture. They reenacted that several years later, which they looked pretty goofy doing that. Your dad said that you’re your brother’s biggest fan and he’s your one biggest fan. Mhm. You just talk to that. God, why did I do that? [Music] different people but the same human in a way. We both have a little bit of ADHD, OCD going on, but I could apply that to football and understand at a high level. And uh he kind of did the same thing with the military, whether it’s logistics or picking up stuff like that. So Garrett joined the Marines after high school. I says, “Why the Marines? They’re hard. They’re tough. That’s the reason I want to do the Marines. They’re the best. I remember we’re all sitting in the house and we’re talking about it and someone asked like, “What if you don’t make it?” And he’s like, “I’m going to make it.” I just kind of sat back. I was like, “Well, that’s a guy has it figured out.” I joined the Marine Corps in 2014. I served 4 years, was based out of Aahu, Kaneoi Bay, Hawaii, and went all over the country. I think he enjoyed it and made him a hell of a man. You learn a lot more than you will out of a book. [Music] We were all obviously very proud of of Garrett’s commitment and his sacrifice for him to go and serve the country voluntarily. He is tough, brave, courageous. You got to pat him on the back. They’re brothers and they’re close, but they’re completely different people. You know, Spencer’s a professional athlete. Garrett was a military man and now he’s a cowboy. We are a mile north of Lennox, Iowa at my dad’s farm. This used to be my grandparents farm. It all connects. We have this home space and then there’s another one maybe a/4 mile. Yeah, this is where I spent majority of my time growing up. Our dad is a cattle farmer. It was a great way to grow up. I mean, if you’re not actively in a sport, that was dad’s rule. You’re either in a sport or you’re out here working. So, there was no downtime. On the road again, as far as the farming side of my operation, it’s uh on the smaller scale. What’s the uh acreage on this entire thing? 320. 320 on both of them. You think 320 acres is small compared? Go ask the neighbor. Yeah. Thousands. Thousands. talked to guys planted 3,200 acres of corn in 6 days. We raised corn, soybeans, alpha alpha for the cattle. You never were bored on the farm. There was always something to do. Like a glove. Cows are usually tearing this bail apart already, but stranger danger. None deal. through a lot of hay bales, worked cattle, tagging calves. This is the cving pasture here. Certain cows, they don’t want you messing with a newborn calf. So sometimes Spencer was a decoy. Get the cow’s attention so dad could take care of the calf. And you run. Hope you can run fast enough and long enough that he turns it loose. That prepare you for football at all. You can go faster. I think I got addicted to adrenaline that day. I think I’ve told you more than once. Remember that time that cow was chasing your ass? Do that on the football field. Kneeh high by the 4th of July. That refers to field corn. You plant your corn in the spring and farmers used to gauge how their harvest was going. The saying was you always had to have your corn knee high by the 4th of July. Then that would hopefully predict like a bountiful harvest. And more times than not, it was shoulder over our head high. And it’s kind of like a progression over time. You see us grow, you see the crops change. So, it’s like a time capsule that you get to add to every year. You remember when I used to have little league basketball tournaments at the gym? When Spencer was in elementary, we hosted lots of basketball tournaments and there might be a 2 three-hour break. In between games, some kids would have fun, hang out with their friends, and we’d go combine corn in between basketball games or scoop hog and go back smelling terrible and play basketball. I’m giving to you. You’re giving to me. I’m going to your games. I’m supporting you. Come help me here for a bit. He knew that sitting and watching games for 2 hours wasn’t going to be the most productive. You know, it was important to help out on the farm. He definitely got got the most out of us out here. That’s for sure. There’s a lot of people that said that he always raised us hard and I think he was in the process of raising men, not boys. So, um I say he got that done. Part of growing up, learn how to work and learn how to play. [Music] Warm it up. Jesus. Feels a little different in my hand. It’s been a minute though since we played catch. So you said this is your guys’ pastime. How did this all start? I mean, it’s kind of started in the backyard and I would beg my dad to play catch after every night we got done out here till the sun goes down. Really? [Music] We played everything. So part of Lennox being a small town is everybody who’s out for sports plays all of the sports. Spencer played football, soccer, baseball, basketball. He never had a favorite sport. His favorite sport was whatever he happened to be playing at the time. And he would just go all out in that until it was time to go to the next one. He excelled. I could see that he was athletic. He picked up things very quickly. Go off for a pass, Spencer, and back up some more. My god, you can really hum that thing. One day I was driving him to practice and I said, “Why do you want to do this so bad anyway?” He’s like, “I just want to hit people.” Like he was just he had this fire about him. It always was there. I don’t think he even realized himself how good he could be. I think it was his junior year is when it really started to move for him. Please be neat and wipe your feet. Morning, boys. It’s a good looking jersey. Tommy C. Good to see you. Good seeing you. How’s things going? Spencer was a very talented athlete. You’re getting a little taller yet, aren’t you? That’s what everybody says. I don’t think so, though. You don’t think so? No. Just wait until you get to my age and you start coming down. Start shrinking. People can stop shrinking a little bit. He was probably 6’3, 6’4. I would probably say 200, 220. We got a bunch of records over here, too. Football absolutely nothing offensively. Only defensively, only got sacks. Small town football. We uh we only play eight players because of school size. Eight-man football is played on a smaller field and so instead of 100 by 50, it’s 80 by 40. Obviously, fewer players. It’s a fast-paced football game. There’s a center, there’s guards, and there’s tight ends and they have a quarterback, fullback, halfback. There’s no wide receivers. There’s no tackles. That’s why high scoring games can get out of hand. Eight man football, you don’t throw the ball a lot. You’re just running it 90% of the time. My junior year, I think the score is like 112 to 97 or something like that. So, it’s just a scoring fest. It’s almost like an arcade version of football. In small schools, most players play both sides of the ball. On offense, he played tight end. And then on defense, he played defensive end. A little a little Spencer right there. Defense was really well for me cuz everybody’s undersized. I mean, you’re missing a tackle, so even the edge is shorter and I take four steps, I’m almost there. So, I definitely had way more fun on defense than offense. And I hated blocking when I was in high school, but it turns out for the better. As far as Spencer’s recruiting deal went, he got concerned. Didn’t get a lot of traction recruiting wise, surprisingly. God, Dad, we’re from out here nowhere. Little small farming community. Nobody’s ever going to hear of me. And I I remember telling him, I said, “Spencer, if you’re good enough, they’re going to find you.” So, I made my own highlight clip. Coach Farley from northern Iowa stopped by Lennox on a whim pretty much cuz he was visiting somebody else in western Iowa. Heard there was a tall kid down there. So he’s pulled to the school and I was sweating so I was nervous but I said, “Oh, nice to meet you. I’m Spencer.” Spence obviously was excited and wanted to, you know, show him this highlight video that he had made. We had to go in the computer lab. There’s a class going on and I had to kick a kid off in the middle of class. you know that video that showed coach Farley what he was made of and led to a scholarship offer. I didn’t really believe him that it was I was like you sure it’s a full rat. It’s full and he was like yeah it’s full and broke down in front of him. You and I felt like the perfect fit for him. When he goes to you and I for college he was still a tall skinny tight end probably 68 and about 220. Pretty skinny kid. They asked him if he had any interest in playing tackle and see how much weight he could put on. Do you think you want to play a line or I’ll do anything you want? To gain 100 lb in a year. It was not an easy task. I mean, you see how small I was. My dad got a freezer for our college house. I wanted to make sure he was eating right. So, I purchased a big chest freezer and stocked it every year with homegrown cornfed beef. He was doing 7 8,000 calorie days. A lot of chicken, a lot of eggs, a lot of yogurt, high protein foods. My frames look really well to just eating massive amounts and working out super hard. Yeah, I remember Spencer explaining like how intense the workouts were, how he just got so sick of eating. Told me once that he would eat until he threw up and brush his teeth and go back to eating. 24/7 was eating and working out. I did not think that I’d be where I am today. Luckily, I was gifted genetically. He put on 90 to 100 lb of good weight. It wasn’t blabber. It was broad. I mean, if you could see where I was at in high school, anybody can do it. You just put your head down and go to work in 8 months. And it was a completely different person. He knew there was a plan. He knew there was a purpose for it. It’s just incredible. Just his determination to be able to do it is what drove him through that. The first inkling that I had that the NFL was on the radar was probably his sophomore junior year in college. After my junior year, I was like, “Okay, I had a pretty good year. I still have one more year under my belt. If I grow as much as I did the last three years for one more year and then hopefully get a shot, hopefully someone can see that that’s a possibility for me. So Spencer’s draft party was held in our mom’s garage. He created the guest list. He wanted it small, intimate, you know, he just wanted people that had been there from the very beginning. The 2021 NFL draft is now officially open. We didn’t know if he was going. Round one would have been awesome, but if he didn’t, it didn’t matter. You know, you always hope that they’re going to get drafted on day one, but it it really just kind of felt like a dress rehearsal for the real event, which was day two. Again, I’m getting goosebumps. It’s just that whole day, it was just such high energy, like a good good energy. And we’d kind of had an idea of how many offensive linemen would be taken before Spencer. As the day wore on, hopes kind of dwindled. It was stressful for him. Obviously, he was he was waiting for a call, wanting a call, and it just wasn’t coming. Another 10 picks came and went, and we’re getting to the middle of the third round. And Spencer had gotten kind of quiet. Like, at one point, I’m like, where’d he go? I was like, oh man, this is going to suck if I don’t get drafted in the second day with everybody here. I kept telling him like, dude, you’re going to get a call. It’s coming. It’s just a matter of when, so quit worrying about it. And then we see him on the phone and I mean you could hear a pin drop. You know it’s the call. Yeah. Buffalo, New York popped up my phone and I answered it within a ring and a half probably. Spencer Harry Pula here. How we doing? How you doing? Where you at? Uh I’m back home in Middle Iowa. How’s the weather out there? Uh it’s it’s it’s good. It’s better now. Hey, you just got drafted. Yes, sir. I appreciate it. Enjoy it. Yeah, we will for sure. In the minute he hung up that phone and we people tell us they heard us from blocks away. He hangs up and looks over at me and just says, “Bills.” And I was like, “That makes all the sense in the world.” Just blows my mind when you get to thinking about it. You can’t describe it. It was the most proud feeling that a parent can have. with the 93rd pick, the Buffalo Bills select, Spencer Brown. We’re just so happy for him. He’s worked his tail off to chase that dream. Just all the hard work and family and things we went through. Now I was just happy that everybody was happy. It was incredible. We will never forget that night. Best party I’ve ever been to. So, I had actually just found out about the Bills Mafia through social media. Like, I’d seen videos during football seasons of the fans jumping through tables. So, I knew it was a thing. I didn’t know at the time to what extent. He gets the call, happens on TV. Everybody starts hugging, crying, emotional, you know, and I noticed that there was a folding table at the back of the garage. And I could hear Garrett saying, “Oh, you got to do it. You got to do it, man.” And so, what the hell are they up to? I just drug it out into the yard. And I started yelling his name until I got his attention. And I just pointed at it. What? Why would you jump through a table? Are you nuts? We had no idea. I had no idea about Bill’s Mafia that they did this that that’s their thing. Why in the hell they do that? You don’t know what you talking about? Well, it’s a thing they do in Buffalo. It’s a tailgate party. I Bill Mafia, baby. Let’s go. It’s one of those moments I had my camera out cuz I wanted, you know, they always say live in the moment, put your camera away, but man, I’ve I’ve rewatched this thing a thousand times. And of course, he executed it perfectly and he gave the old WWE move. [Applause] Of course, it goes viral like immediately. Everybody’s phones are blowing up. It’s now hanging in my restaurant. His family was nice enough, gracious enough to let me keep it. And uh somebody came up with the awesome idea to have most of the people that were there sign it that night. But where we’re located, not all the Bills games are televised. So, you can definitely tell when it’s not on national television because there are more people up here. But I try to be up here most Sundays. I like watching it up here. We gather as a family as a chance for all of us to be together watching him do what he’s so good at. Phil’s Mafia in Southwest Iowa. Tell us a little bit about what you bring in the game. I play the game like a little kid kind of like I’m out there to have fun. Um I bring a lot of energy, like to interact with fans, be one with them, and then go out there and perform and and do my job. So, I’m looking forward to that. Sitting at High Mark Stadium watching him play. A full circle moment for a lot of us. Bill’s Mafia is incredible. I’ve never seen a fan base like this and we are so thrilled that we’re a part of it. I was at the game watching the infamous beer chug in person. We watch most of our games from the living room, my husband Jason, my son Jameson and I. So we were sitting right here. Second down and seven. Pass is caught. Reaching across for the touchdown. Stfan Gigs. Mom Spencer just drank a beer on TV. For me, I just thought it was funny. Like he was having fun. Our parents didn’t like it. What the Sam hell you think you’re doing, man? What What was that? In my defense, I was told by a very high ranking coach to turn it loose that day. Dion had co or something who couldn’t play. And I’ve never played left tackle in my life, so I don’t know if the coach was telling me that to like get me excited for it. He was a rookie and I think he just got wrapped up in the moment. I don’t think he consumed any of it. But that’s just Spencer and his personality. We love to see his personality come through. [Music] Another day at the office. I like your nose, man. That’s cute. That’s very aesthetic. Hey, take care of the ball. Follow the ball. Let’s go. I love that. Love that. And I love you. I look good. Heard your mom was not the biggest fan of that. That’s all right. She loves me unconditionally. Four years later. Okay. It It was kind of funny. Crowd loves I knew Buffalo would love it. And uh Digs look thirsty, so I was trying to help him out. You know, seeing your little brother starting in a professional football game, it’s just incredible. It always worried me. And I remember one day I asked Garrett, “Does that bother you that Spencer’s getting all the limelight?” She said, “Hell no. I’m his biggest fan. I personally and my dad too, we get really emotional during the national anthem. I never did until Garrett was in the Marines. [Music] The national anthem and then the fly over. Oh my gosh, I can’t even words can’t even describe. We’re all just so proud of where we’re from. We’re proud to be Americans. That’s why Spencer has, you know, just kind of a special connection with veterans. He found Mission 22. I think it’s great. Those foundations are things that I’m very, very supportive of. I have some friends that aren’t here anymore. There’s less and less of us and it’s suicide. It’s always hard for me to listen to that because I couldn’t imagine those guys are dealing with a plethora of different stuff that they saw or went through. So to see guys like actually do outreach work. It’s it’s very powerful for me. And now I mean Spencer gets to do so many cool things going on the honor flight. [Music] Does that sound familiar to anybody? [Music] Yeah, it’s just a lot, you know, just uh [Music] sorry. Um, so I think for Spencer to sit there and read a letter, that was a pretty personal thing when I explained to him what it meant to me. Uh, it’s guy I look up to. um maybe took it for granted when I was younger, but as I got older, I kind of realized what he was about and how we are similar in different ways. He means so much to me and uh I wouldn’t say we’re like super soft. Oh, I love you so much. Like we we are, but for whatever reason, I love just cuz we’re brothers or what, but a lot of the more emotional things we’ve ever said to each other have been through letters. We have that emotion with each other, but it doesn’t come out often. So when it does, it it means a lot. Just a high level of respect for each other. to be there from the beginning. All of our experiences growing up leading to this, I I wouldn’t change a bit of it. I am the proudest big brother. It’s a small town. Everybody knows you. But it’s nice when people stop you said, “Hey, that Garrett Spencer, they’re good kids. I couldn’t ask for two better sons. We are very proud to have him here. Welcome Spencer Brown. Sometimes it just hits you like you’re just watching Spencer during the game and then like how is this real? I mean it’s an emotional roller coaster going through the NFL but uh you got to refer back to who you are. He is so proud of where he’s from. Spencer’s been very blessed with the support of family and friends. I think about my family. I think about where I came from, who I want to be. It is so cool to see all of these little kids in 79 jerseys. Linux is definitely where it’s at, but I mean it trickles. Handful of people maybe like the Bills. Now everybody likes the Bills. I just think that it’s a testament to what a small town kid and hard work can achieve and it gives everybody something to rally behind. But everybody kind of has something that gets him up in the morning. But as far as his legacy, I mean, the sky is the limit. He’s got the drive, the determination to go after the goals that he’s put ahead of himself. It comes from here. And how lucky are we to have this front row seat to see all of his hard work and determination manifest into what it’s become. We all know for every athlete there is a last game, there’s a last practice, there’s a last play. I don’t think that best we are going to see of him has anything to do with the football field. Whatever he does, it’s going to be amazing. It’s been a heck of a ride and we’re along for it. Where else would you rather be? Just keep working hard, man. It all pay off in the end. He’s playing football, but he’s still just my little boy, little big boy. He’s just Spencer Brown. [Music]

Get an in-depth look at Buffalo Bills right tackle Spencer Brown’s journey to the NFL. From a small farm town in Lenox, Iowa, to earning a single Division I offer, to becoming a staple of the Bills offense, learn about the fan-favorite Bills offensive lineman in this all-access feature.

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