Rowan running back Gawain Bragg is enjoying a solid season. To date, he has totaled 452 rushing yards and five TDs, including an impressive 139-yard, two-touchdown performance against Southern Virginia Saturday (a 17-7 win).
He’s a big reason the Profs have started the season 5-1 overall and rank amongst the NJAC elite with a 4-1 conference record.
And to think, Bragg almost quit playing football six years ago.
Bragg grew up in Sicklerville, New Jersey with his parents, Gawain, Sr. and Essy, along with his three siblings Courtland, Jarret and Gabby. He did what most kids do: played sports, particularly basketball, which he describes as his first love, and (of course) football. He did the latter well enough that, during his senior year in 2006-07, college squads came knocking.
He joined St. Francis University’s football squad, played for season as a backup RB and then … it all ended. Financial difficulties forced Bragg to quit school — and football — to find a job. He worked for the post office in Camden before developing an interest in behavioral health, which led to stints at Archway and Bancroft and, “a group home in Blackwood for YCS,” according to the Courier-Post.
Then, he got married. Had a kid. Grew up.
Yet, something kept nagging at the young, 5-foot-8, 173-pound athlete; an itch he couldn’t quite satisfy.
“I fell into the trap of getting too comfortable,” Bragg said. “I was at a point where I never thought I’d get back to school, much less play football. I was in the workforce … playing collegiate football was something I always wanted to do. To just get that one year when I was younger wasn’t enough. I wanted to go back and check it off my bucket list.”
So he did it. Bragg enrolled at Rowan last season, played in nine games with one start and rushed the ball 23 times for 78 yards and a touchdown.
Six years ago he was out of school trying to make sense of his life. This season he serves as the Prof’s leader in rushing yards and touchdowns. He's back in school, majoring in African American studies — he wants to teach upon graduating — and works with his wife to raise his now 3-year old son.
Sure, it’s not always easy, but Bragg (pictured right) is back at school doing what he loves.
“It’s tough,” he said with a laugh. “I go to practice, go to class and still have to muster energy to take care of the kid at home. The other guys go to their dorm rooms. I go back to family. But that’s okay.
“Once you leave college it’s tough to get back into school, but it worked out so now I’m back in school on the field and working towards my degree.”
Bragg uses his experience to help some of the younger guys on the Rowan football squad.
“I wanna say I’m the big brother in the locker room,” Bragg said. “They call me grandpa and uncle — all that good stuff. People don’t like to talk about personal things they go through, but I try to encourage people through my experience. Guys really like that because instead of going through a coach, they have a teammate who’s been there.”
What 'elderly' wisdom does Bragg impart upon his fellow teammates?
“Be persistent,” he says. “The question I always had that was a burden was: what if I went back to school? I didn’t want to go through life like that. I took baby steps — I took a class here and there and worked my way back.
“If you have a goal, try to get there. It’s not A to Z — there’s 24 letters in-between. What do they say? The journey through 1,000 miles starts with the first step.
“I would like people to see my passion in this sport. In life we go through many things and adversities and football is one of those sports that really tests you as a man and a human being. Some of the things that I’ve had to overcome, be here — 27 years old on a college football team — is a story to tell. No matter what you go through, you have to get through it. There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.”
