One Foot in Front of the Other: How Keyshawn Brown Turned Struggle Into Strength

When life kept knocking him down, the Bellevue teen found a team that helped him stand tall, and keep running toward his future.

BELLEVUE, Wash. – One foot in front of the other.

Keyshawn Brown was running. For the first time in his life, he was moving as fast as his legs would take him.

One foot in front of the other.

Sweat poured down his face, drops hitting his shoes and bouncing off the rough red surface of the track. Sweat spread across his shirt. He was equal parts exhausted and overjoyed. For the first time, he was feeling the thrill – and pain – of physical effort.

One foot in front of the other.

He tried to catch his breath. Each step became harder than the last. He started to slow down.

One foot in front of the other.

He kept moving forward. He wasn’t worried about speed, he just wanted to keep going. Then he heard it: a cacophony of voices building behind him. The cheers and shouts jolted him out of the internal monologue that had been pushing him forward.

It was hot. He was exhausted. But his Bellevue High School teammates made sure he finished.

One foot in front of the other.

“That’s when I felt love for the first time,” Brown said.

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For a teenager who had “bounced to and from” homes for as long as he could remember, that moment offered a comfort he had given up on.

“I always thought love … it was something,” he paused, searching for words, “that didn’t exist.”

Then he found Bellevue football.

“When I came here, it was all love,” he said.

For most of the 5-foot-1, 280-pound senior’s life, he didn’t know what a stable home felt like. Sometimes he lived with relatives. Sometimes with his mother, Kelley, in their car. Sometimes in shelters. Other times in transitional housing.

He lost interest in school. He didn’t think about the future. He just existed.

All of that changed when he found football. His teammates and coaches welcomed him like family.

“When you have a home, it feels really good when you didn’t have one before,” said Brown, sweat once again pouring down his face during a practice before the Wolverines’ first playoff game of the season, a Friday night home matchup against Inglemoor.

Seeing Brown’s smile now, his passion for Bellevue football, it would be easy to assume he leads a normal life, just another senior with big dreams. But before football, before love, before family, there was survival, a different kind of putting one foot in front of the other.

Nights spent wondering where he’d sleep, including one that changed everything.

A relative had just kicked Brown out. With nowhere to go, he wandered downtown Bellevue. He tried to sleep at Bellevue Downtown Park. He couldn’t.

He found a bench in front of a Starbucks. He pulled out his phone. With tears streaming down his face, he recorded a video. He wanted a future version of himself to look back on this low point and know he still believed things would get better.

When he finished, he went looking for a place indoors to rest. He walked into a bathroom at Lincoln Square. He thought he’d find an empty spot to sleep. Instead, he found inspiration.

“There was this dude in the restroom, and he pretty much just told me that life was going to get better,” Brown said.

That dude was right.

Now, Brown’s life is better. He wants to go to college. He dreams of opening a barbershop. He has a place to live. He has family.

“I’m grateful to have that man (Coach Michael Kneip) and my teammates in my life,” Brown said. “You feel me? I get to play for this team. That’s how much it showed me what life could be like – real spill.”

When Brown looks back at his early high school years, he admits he wasn’t invested. He would go to class, but he wouldn’t pay attention.

At first, “I tried to do the work, but I didn’t know how to ask for help. I thought I was supposed to know these things when, in reality, it’s OK not to. I can just talk to an adult, and they’ll help me out.”

Brown thought teachers would call him “stupid” if he asked questions.

Once that changed, “I found out I’m really smart,” he said.

Now Brown sees the rewards that come from hard work. His parents tried to instill those values, but for years he couldn’t see past the uncertainty in his life.

There’s a clarity that comes with stability.

Once he made it through those first grueling football workouts, he started showing up to the team’s 5 a.m. weight sessions.

“I love that,” he said. “When you’re lifting with a team, it’s just different.”

Now he chooses to stay active. Outside of football, he goes to a local middle school field and runs 1,000 yards. He’s transformed his life by putting one foot in front of the other, in a positive direction.

“I think I can do anything,” he said. “I really feel unstoppable.”

Even during a cold, rainy November practice, Brown is smiling. He’s the player on the sideline who never stops working to keep his teammates engaged.

Sure, he still has struggles. He worries about the impact the government shutdown is having on his family’s SNAP benefits. But he keeps moving forward, one foot in front of the other.

During Bellevue’s game against Interlake last week, Brown was sent in during the fourth quarter. The crowd went wild. The sideline erupted.

“Keyshawn! Keyshawn! Keyshawn!”

Every play brought more excitement. It was like watching Seahawks fans go wild after Leonard Williams blows up a play.

As he ran back to the sideline, the cheers reached a crescendo. Brown threw his arms in the air and pumped his fists.

“That was one of those moments, for sure,” he said. “I was ready. I really needed that. It’s just going to push me to practice even harder. If I can do even a fraction of what our other defensive nose can do, I’m going to be all right.”

While Brown is determined to keep working as long as the Wolverines’ playoff run continues, he’s already won something more important than any state title. He reclaimed his life. He used football to rekindle a dream for the future. He found love. He found family.

One foot in front of the other.