By Dan Ninham
Kobe Brown is a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. He is a graduating senior at Bemidji High School and has lettered in football, basketball, and baseball. He was a two-year varsity starter and captain for the three sports.
Brown’s accomplishments included being named All District Honorable Mention in football, two-time All- Academic Starting Five, Defensive Player of the Year, TNT Award (Takes No Talent) in basketball, and earning the Buckanaga (Gold Glove) Award in baseball.
“My indigenous core values include respect, leadership, discipline, family,” said Kobe Brown. “Respect for opponents, officials, teammates, coaches and fans all influence the way I practice and compete. Showing respect shows acknowledgement of others skills and/or efforts.”
“Leadership influences the way I practice and compete because I know there is always somebody watching. It’s about inspiring others to be successful and showing the hard work. Discipline influences the way I practice and compete because you always have to be thinking, you can’t be goofing off in practice or only giving a half effort when competing. You are there to either win or get better,” added Brown.
“Finally, family,” said Brown. “Creating bonds with those closest to you that you call teammates. No matter who it is, everybody on the field, on the court, in the stands, they are all family and what makes being a student athlete so special.”
“Seeing people having fun and competing is what I love most about being an athlete,” added Brown.
This student-athlete referred to his coaches by their last name. “Stoffel has been a major part in all aspects of my life,” said Brown. “Last summer he took a chance on me and stopped by my house to get me to play football. Then, in my first varsity start, we win 49-47 against St Cloud Tech in the section quarterfinal. Stoffel is the person who instilled me with such confidence and knowing that hard work > talent.”
“It was very easy to believe in Kobe as a student athlete, because of how consistent he was at chasing excellence,” said Bemidji HS head football coach Bryan Stoffel. “This is a kid who has a 4.0+ GPA, being a two-sport captain, and about as friendly as one could be. It was truly unfortunate that Kobe was injured in our third game as I believe he was truly ascending as a quarterback and he would have led us to some big victories along the way.”
“Thompson, similar to Stoffel, took a chance on me and decided to start me at shooting guard also in my junior year,” said Brown.
“Thompson really helped me because he really got to know me and he does that with all of his players. Thompson taught me about how important it is to make connections with people and to help the person beside you become the best version that they can be,” added Brown.
Steve Thompson not only was Brown’s head basketball coach but he was also his varsity assistant football coach.
“Kobe Brown embodies what it means to be a selfless leader and tireless worker,” said Bemidji HS head basketball and assistant football coach Steve Thompson. “Watching Kobe grow as a player, person, and leader over the last four years has been a joy.”
“I’ve never coached a player who does all the little things like Kobe does. He is relentless in his pursuit of success, whether it’s in the classroom, on the court, or pushing through injury recovery. He brings the same all-in mentality to everything he does. His work ethic, leadership, and team-first approach didn’t just elevate his performance – they raised the standard for our program,” added Coach Thompson.
“Grimm is quite the character,” said Brown. “He being older school and having an old school style of coaching has helped me in many different ways. He’s taught me respect, staying ahead in the classroom, how to be confident, but classy, and so much more that my generation doesn’t understand.”
“Kobe Brown is quite simply one of the finest men I have had the honor of coaching,” said Bemidji HS head varsity baseball Coach Jim Grimm. “His physical talents are stunning. But that pales in comparison to the heart, dedication, work ethic and leadership qualities he displays every day.”
“No one in my career of 45 years as a baseball coach has worked harder than Kobe. He treats every player, no matter where they land on the depth chart, like they are some kind of treasure. He has an innate sense in his leadership of when to be tough and when to nurture. He has the thirst to always want to improve in every sense, to be a complete person.”
Brown sustained a shoulder injury in the football season that affected his play on the fields and court. He switched gears to continue to be a team player and helped his teammates achieve higher levels. He said, “I took on the mentor roll for much of my football and basketball season and it helped me grow as both a player, but also a person.”
Post high school plans are to continue his education and to major in civil engineering at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. “Possibly play baseball,” said Brown. He’s always striving to be a better person by being a better student-athlete.
