As quarterback Dru Brown sits down for our interview in late July, he and the Ottawa REDBLACKS are rolling.
Their 5-2 win-loss record is incredible for a few reasons: Ottawa hasn’t had more than four victories in a season since 2018; no Ottawa CFL club, whether it’s the REDBLACKS, Renegades, or Rough Riders, has started a season at 5-2 since 1978; and the home fans finally have something to cheer about, starting the season 4-0 at TD Place.
Brown has been a big reason why the REDBLACKS appear to be turning their ship around. The 27-year-old Californian has not only been helping Ottawa’s offence put more points on the board, he’s also leading sustained drives, allowing the defensive unit to finally get some rest on the sideline.
After three seasons as a backup in Winnipeg, Brown was set to become a free agent last winter and was ready for the chance to be a number one quarterback. So, in January, Ottawa gave him his wish. The REDBLACKS acquired his rights for a fifth-round pick and signed him to a two-year deal a week later.
With the deal signed, Brown and his wife, Meghan, who’ve been friends since seventh grade, packed their bags and moved to Ottawa. Not only did Brown have to adjust to a new city, a new team and a new playbook, but fate decided that his first game in his new colours should be in the rain against his friends and teammates from Winnipeg.
Despite an hour-long lightning delay at the end of the game, Brown and the REDBLACKS held on to beat his old team, 23-19.
“Yeah, it definitely felt good to win that,” Brown said. “I’d be lying to your face if I said it didn’t feel good. But it was definitely an interesting experience because, at that point in time, I was closer with those guys than I was with the guys here, just based on time spent. But it was awesome to see how the guys reacted, even during the week of preparation. You could tell that the guys really wanted to get it done.”
Brown loves that even though the REDBLACKS have started well, the players aren’t remotely satisfied with that.
“I would say the group of guys in that locker room are extremely grateful, but there’s zero complacency,” Brown said. “There’s urgency in the building, but not to the point where it’s not enjoyable. We all love being around each other and coming to work and challenging one another. It’s a really awesome work environment.”
Brown has all of the elements of a classic CFL quarterback. He’s mobile, throws well on the run, has an accurate arm and, most importantly, has the poise to find open receivers while under duress. He’s just under six feet tall, which isn’t an issue in Canada, where passing lanes are easier to manufacture. But quarterback height can still be an issue in America at all levels.
Brown didn’t get to play much in high school until his senior year. As a result, there wasn’t much game film for the big football schools to get excited about.
“I was able to go to camps and drive around the country, and everyone really liked what they saw. But there was a lack of film and the thought that you can’t necessarily trust a small quarterback. They were like, “Yeah, he runs fast, he throws the ball well, but we don’t have any tape of him actually doing it in games.’ So, looking back on it I completely understand the reservations that people had.”
But Brown made the most of his situation, opting to play a year of junior college in San Mateo, throwing for 21 touchdowns and rushing for six more. At that point, he had his game film, and that helped him a spot at the University of Hawaii for two years before he transferred to an even bigger football school at Oklahoma State.
As Brown reluctantly began to ponder life after football, he was in the midst of training for NFL Pro Day, when Winnipeg came calling and convinced him to come to Canada for 2020. His first CFL season was cancelled due to COVID. Brown then worked his way up the depth chart to the main backup behind Zach Collaros. Brown made two starts in 2023, winning both of them and setting a CFL record for most touchdown passes (9) without recording an interception.
In the off-season, as Brown was about to enter free agency, he says there wasn’t that much communication with the Bombers before they traded him to Ottawa.
“I understand that,” Brown said. “It wasn’t like I was expecting them to go with me over Zach, you know? Then I got a call from “Oshe” (head coach Mike O’Shea). He was like, ‘Hey, you know, Ottawa is going to trade for your rights. It’s going to break in a few hours. I want to let you know that it’s your time to go run a team. And we appreciate what you did for us here.’
“So that’s kind of how all that transpired.”
Brown’s path to Ottawa began with a great childhood. He grew up with two older sisters in a tightly-knit family of five that did everything together. Brown says he liked having older sisters, who were always helping him out. That might even include getting the answers before the odd test at school.
But the Browns were hit with heartbreak when Dru’s father, Dave, died suddenly last July, a few months after Dru and Meghan were married. Dru has described his father as his best friend and knows he would have been pleased to see where he is today.
“I know he was very proud,” Brown said. “He passed last year, so he never really got to see me get my opportunity. But I think that he always believed in me, probably more than I ever believed in myself. He constantly let me know how much I belonged, how much time I’ve invested, and how hard I’ve worked to get to where I am. He always reassured me of that.
“But I’m sure he’s pretty happy or proud, whatever the word you want to use, watching down and seeing everything unfold.”
One of Brown’s fondest childhood memories is starting tackle football at nine when he was one of the biggest kids. Thanks to his dad, he was really good.
“I think my mom was a little concerned about safety at first,” Brown said. “But my dad played in college at Washington State. So, when I wanted to play, he was like, ‘All right, let’s do it.’ He actually signed me up and didn’t tell her, so she was a little apprehensive at first when she found out.
“But my dad told her, ‘You need to come out to practice because it’s not your son that you need to worry about. My dad taught me how to tackle properly when I was really young. And I was just crushing kids.
“So once she kind of figured that out, she was like, ‘Oh, this is fine.’”
Brown’s first summer in Ottawa has gone very well, and that includes his life with Meghan.
“My wife absolutely loves it,” Brown said. “She walks everywhere with the dog. She loves the farmer’s market. She loves the whole Lansdowne, Bank Street area.
She loves walking along the canal. As for me, I don’t really do much, because I’m at the facility most of the time. But when we do have some off time, we go a little bit outside of the city. One of the guys has a place out in the sticks. So, we sit around the fire, barbecue, and hang out.”
Are you a beer guy or a wine guy and what brand?
Beer. I’m not gonna lie to you. I drink Coors Banquet. I’m not like a high-end beer guy. I enjoy some IPAs. But you would see me smiling ear to ear if someone handed me a yellow belly.
Favourite movie?
I’ll give you three. I’m going to say The Lion King, a great film. Then Shawshank Redemption and The Departed.
Favourite music?
Country music.
Morgan Wallen, right?
Luke Combs and Riley Green kind of edge out Morgan Wallen right now. But I like most of Morgan Wallen’s stuff. His old stuff is prime time. As I’ve gotten older, I like more of the twangy, acoustic-based stuff than all the poppy stuff.
What was your first car and why was it awesome?
My first car was a 1998 Jaguar XJR. It cost $1300 because it didn’t run. My dad and I spent some time on it together. Once we got it running, I only drove it for two or three months until there was a massive coolant leak. What was awesome about it? It was fast. It had about 360 horsepower, which is a lot for a young kid.
The worst thing about it was that you couldn’t drive it for more than seven minutes without it overheating. So I had to carry a jug of coolant and water in my trunk. It built character for sure, but I got rid of that and bought a stick-shift 2000 Mustang Saleen, which I still have today.
Any message to your fans in Ottawa as you battle to get back to the CFL playoffs?
I would tell all of the people who are thinking about coming to watch us that there’s strength in numbers and their support means a lot to us as players. We want to provide an awesome experience for people around here.
We’re playing pretty good football, and we plan on playing great football moving forward.
By Steve Warne
