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54 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED what appeared to be sure intercep- tions, ones that could have been crit- ical to the Boilermakers' fortunes. Certainly the ones against Iowa and Indiana — he muffed one vs. Ne- braska too — would have increased Purdue's chances for a win. Against Indiana, he let one go straight through his arms late in the third quarter, failing to make the basket catch, and two plays later, the Hoosiers tied the game, then went on to win the Bucket for the second-straight year. "(Last year), he got himself in po- sition to make those plays," second- ary coach Taver Johnson said in the spring. "Now he just has to finish with the ball and he'll be fine. He has all the physical tools and everything, now it's just finishing those plays, which he can do." If he does, Brown certainly will be recognized, at least by the Big Ten and maybe beyond. But that's never been atop his highest priorities. Back in high school, he wasn't high profile either, especially on the football field, although he made some noise in track. Following his official visit — he came for the Boilermak- ers' primetime blowout loss to No- tre Dame, the one in which Caleb TerBush threw a pick on Purdue's first play — he committed to Pur- due, then his recruiting went dor- mant. It wasn't as if he was looking to flip elsewhere, but his coach shut down any possibility, literally turning coaches, like those at Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Indiana and Miami, away at the door. Brown, who hadn't even camped much the summer be- fore, never took any other visits. "I was mad at one point," Brown said, "but I believe in loyalty, so I feel like I had made a commitment to Pur- due and I was going to stick with what I chose. It's a good school, my mom loves it, so I might as well stick it out and that's what I did. And I'm here." Purdue's happy for it. Brown gives the Boilermakers a top-flight cornerback, a hard worker and a guy teammates want to follow. "I'm not the one to get in the mid- dle and give you a speech," he said. "We're going to get on the field and do it. Now, if something is wrong, I'm go- ing to correct you. But I'm not the one in the middle. That's what Frank does. That's his style. "But my style is to lead by example on the field, show you what's right and wrong on the field, and correct you then. If I see you slacking, I'll correct you, too." THE MOUTH Frankie Williams will yell. He means well, of course, but he's not afraid to speak his mind, encourag- ing at times and demanding at others. He admits that his frankness can rub some the wrong way, although he can't recall specific instances. "I have amnesia with my words," he said. "When I tell you something, I'm not saying it out of anger but intensi- ty of how great we want to be. I have a good relationship with every team- mate; they understand me and I un- derstand them. I can play around, joke all we want, but once practice starts, it's no more fun. Fun is when you're winning." Even when Williams was on the sideline during the spring — he had a foot injury that required surgery, but is recovered now — he was a bundle of energy. Often, he was on the very edge of the sideline, literally toeing the line, frequently in uniform, and always with something to say. Having been both a safety and cornerback, with four dif- ferent position coaches in five years, Williams has a wealth of knowledge to draw. "If he feels a type of way, he'll let you know and that's something you need on a team," junior defensive tack- le Jake Replogle said. "If he doesn't think you're giving it your all, he'll let you know about it. And I think that helps in some, if not most, cases, be- cause people might be lagging behind, but Frankie will get in your face and drag you with him. He's a really good leader." Williams plays on that emotion. He's fierce on the field, sticking his nose into the action as frequently as possible. It's a reason why he was a successful safety last season, even if he's a more natural cornerback, but it is also a reason for injury. Williams doesn't always protect himself, too willing to give up his body to make a play. And a concussion against Nebras- ka last season, the latest of his career, cost him a game the next week against Wisconsin, and led to his move back to cornerback. There, he doesn't have to be into the box as much, saving him from the urge to bang his head into a running back. "I just love playing. Right now I'm at corner," he said. "If something hap- pened and I had to move back to safety, I wouldn't mind going back. "But at corner, it's man-to-man and you're going to see (the receiver) all day. At safety, you might see him a couple plays, then you have to wait two or three plays. That's where I can get a little impatient." And Williams has too much nervous