Derby running back Brody Kooser carries on a legacy

Derby junior running back Brody Kooser, those who know him best say, is the quiet type.

“A man of few words,” Derby football coach Brandon Clark said. “Very quiet, very reserved. He just shows up every day and works hard.”

Except I get the feeling Brody wasn’t always so quiet around his older brother, Braxton, who was killed in a traffic accident southeast of Derby in January 2013.

Braxton was 18 months older than Brody and they were more than brothers. Buddies, really.

Their mom, Alana, used to be concerned when her father told him about fights he would have with his brother — there were about 18 months difference in their ages, too — that became physical because of their competitive urges.

“But my boys never got into physical fights,” Alana Kooser said. “My dad talked about those knockdown, drag-out fights he would have but our boys just never did.”

Braxton died during his freshman year at Derby, so he never got to experience playing on the varsity football team.

Brody is getting that experience now, and for the state’s top-ranked team. He’s a big part of that success, having rushed for 841 yards on 87 carries and 15 touchdowns through Derby’s first six games.

Brody got a taste of what it was like as a sophomore in 2015 and made the most of it with a 102-yard performance in a 46-27 playoff win over Junction City. He’s now part of an incredible offensive arsenal that has been unstoppable for opposing defenses.

“We challenged Brody as soon as last season ended to push himself in the weight room and to get stronger, bigger,” Clark said. “And he did just that. But he did it quietly. I can get an occasional smile from him if I tell a joke, but more or less it’s just one or two words that come out of his mouth.”

Rob Kooser, Brody’s dad, chalks up his son’s quiet nature to being a middle child. Youngest brother Brecken is a sophomore at Derby.

“Yeah, he kind of fits that cliche,” Rob said. “He always just kind of keeps to himself, which is his nature. He’s not a rah-rah guy. Unless it’s a really close friend or family member, he doesn’t open up too much. It’s not like he secludes himself, but it’s just taking a back seat and being a quiet kid.”

Brody used to let off steam by playing sports in the back yard or the driveway against Braxton. Now he’s the older brother to Brecken.

“It was hard to cope at the time,” Brody said about losing his brother. “It still is. I didn’t really know how to handle it but I got through it with my family, my friends and my team.”

Brecken, who plays safety for Derby’s unbeaten freshman team, said he looked up to both of his older brothers.

“I think about Braxton a lot when I’m playing sports,” Brecken said. “He was a cornerback so we had some things in common.

“And I look up to Brody a lot. He’s gifted with skill and a work ethic. Speed and everything. I’m not as fast as he is yet, but I’ll get there.”

Rob and Alana encourage their sons to talk about Braxton, but only when it’s comfortable and natural.

Braxton, they say, shares lots of memories. Not so much for Brody, at least not yet.

“I would say the only time Brody has ever really talked about Braxton is when we’re sharing memories as a family,” Alana said. “Not as often as Bracken, but he has a few times. And I think there’s only been one time where he posted anything about his brother in 3 1/2 years. He’s very, very quiet about it.”

Rob Kooser was a football player at Derby and Alana was a cheerleader. Both are 1991 graduates, but they didn’t start dating until they were students at Kansas State.

“I’m a sports person,” Alana said. “I love football, for sure.”

The boys play baseball, too.

“Brody’s focus is on football and baseball,” Rob Kooser said. “He does a lot of traveling with his baseball team in the summer. I’m still of that old school where you puts kids in multiple sports and let them learn different things.”

It was the same for Braxton, who would be a freshman in college. He might have been playing football somewhere, even. No matter what, though, he would have been Brody’s biggest fan.

“I’d say Brody dealt with this by just watching my wife and I and how we tried to keep those lines of communication open,” Rob said.

Brody said he gets caught up in football when he’s on the field, so there isn’t as much time to think about Braxton.

But as close as they were, and as much as they were together, I suspect Brody thinks about his brother, his buddy, more than he lets on.

“There was always a competition between us about who would be better, who would win,” Brody said. “I would say it was me, but I’m sure he would have a different opinion.”

Brothers are brothers forever. Brody might not say much about Braxton now, but there will be a day.

This story was originally published October 14, 2016 at 10:26 AM with the headline "Derby running back Brody Kooser carries on a legacy."