Fox Chapel’s Sammy Brown fulfills dream by committing to Duquesne

By: Greg Macafee
Sunday, February 9, 2020 | 12:01 AM

Since he was 8 years old, Fox Chapel’s Sammy Brown hoped to play college football for a hometown school.

On Thursday, Brown achieved his goal when he signed a national letter of intent with Division I FCS Duquesne, where he likely will play linebacker or safety.

Has Always been a dream of mine playing Division 1 football for my Hometown. Yesterday that Officially came true. Couldn’t have done it without my Family, Friends, and Coaches who were with me through it all. Proud to announce my Commitment to Duquesne University!???????? #GoDukes pic.twitter.com/4eRsQtYdQH

— Sam Brown (@Sammmyb53) February 7, 2020

“This has always been a dream of mine,” Brown said. “I’ve always wanted to play football at the next level and, of course, I’ve always dreamed of playing Division I. So to be able to do that, it’s definitely a dream come true.”

Brown also received offers from Valparaiso and Dayton. But he wanted to stay close to home, and once he went to Duquesne, it was an easy decision.

“I fell in love with the campus when I took my official visit,” Brown said. “So I kind of knew right after that that I wanted to play at Duquesne. The coaching staff, the facilities, everything about it. I think they are going to be really special in a few years.”

Brown played both ways at Fox Chapel. In his senior season, he was a workhorse on offense. He ran for a team-high 468 yards on 118 carries in nine games.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder was just as dangerous on defense, where he played inside and outside linebacker. Brown finished his high school career with 127 tackles — 25 for a loss — and recorded eight sacks.

Brown also forced three fumbles during his senior season, with one ranking as a career highlight.

“It was during the North Hills game this past year,” Brown said. “I was playing middle linebacker, and I read the play perfectly. The kid came in motion, I put my head across the ball and it was probably the cleanest, hardest hit I’ve ever had. I forced the fumble and actually recovered it, too.”

At Duquesne, Brown will stay on the defensive side.

“Right now, they said they want to me to play outside linebacker,” Brown said. “I played there my junior year, and then I played inside my senior year. But I love both positions.”

The Dukes went 6-5 overall last season and 4-3 in the Northeast Conference.

Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Tags: Fox Chapel