Central Michigan University Athletics
Brunner Shining in Debut Season in German Football League
7/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
MOUNT PLEASANT - The last time Central Michigan fans saw Brian Brunner on a football field, he was kneeling to erase the final seconds of the Chippewas' 37-34 win at Indiana in 2008.
It was a day in which Brunner set a school record with 485 passing yards, threw four touchdown passes and rushed for the game-winning score in the fourth quarter. Had it been the last time he ever took a competitive snap, it would be safe to say he went out on top.
But after two years, countless phone conversations and an international flight, Brunner is back on the gridiron as the starting quarterback of the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns in the German Football League. And, he is blogging about the experience on the Web site of his hometown newspaper, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel .
The GFL is composed of franchises based in 12 German cities, with each team playing a 12-game schedule that begins in late spring. The league follows conventional American football playing rules.
Brunner's journey to Europe began in 2008. Through contacts he had made while working quarterback camps during the summer, Brunner was put in touch with the Unicorns' head coach, Siegfried Gehrke, who offered Brunner the opportunity to join the Unicorns for the 2009 season.
"I had a lot on my plate at that point," Brunner said. "I had been applying to graduate schools and had been offered graduate assistantships in journalism at a couple schools, and I just didn't feel that I was ready for the 2009 season. But, I asked him to keep me in mind for 2010."
Finally, three phone calls from Gehrke later, Brunner accepted the opportunity to join the Unicorns.
"I felt like I had a lot of football left in me when I left Central Michigan," Brunner said. "I wanted to see if I could still play at a high level, and now I've done that."
The day after Easter, Brunner was on a flight to Germany.
"When I arrived in Germany, it was the first time in my life that I was truly shell-shocked," Brunner said. "But on my second day here, we had our first practice, and that really helped me feel at home. We run a pretty similar offense to what I was used to at Central, so I was able to kind of step right in and feel pretty comfortable."
Also helping ease Brunner's transition was the lifestyle in Schwäbisch Hall. A relatively small city of 36,000, Brunner compares the relationship between the city and the Unicorns to that of the city of Green Bay with the Packers organization.
"We are the only first-division sport at Schwäbisch Hall, and we're competing in and against bigger cities all over the country," Brunner said. "Our team and our organization are really embraced by the community.
"My favorite part of this whole experience has just been being a part of the Schwäbisch Hall community," he added. "I never expected that in just the three months that I have been here that I would start to know people or recognize people, or that they would recognize me. It's incredible to me that, as an outsider, I've become this entrenched in this community. It's been surprising, and it's something that will live with me forever."
On the field, Brunner has emerged as one the top offensive threats in the league. Through eight games, he has completed 177-of-288 passes (61.5 percent) for 2,141 yards and 21 touchdowns. He also has scored six rushing touchdowns. Brunner leads the GFL in passing yards, yards per game (267.6), completions, touchdown passes and total offense (278.2 ypg). The Unicorns' offense leads the league in scoring (37.9 ppg), total offense (395.0 ypg) and passing (283.0 ypg).
Schwäbisch Hall is 6-2 overall and in second place in the GFL South Division.
With a month left in the 2010 season, Brunner says it's too early to think about whether he will return for a second season as the Unicorns' signal-caller. His main goal, he says, is to help Schwäbisch Hall win the German Bowl, the league's championship game; how this season ends will help dictate his future.
"I'm still excited to go back to school, and I know graduate school is a challenge that will always be there for me," Brunner said. "Football has a statute of limitations. I can get my master's degree when I'm 55 years old, but I know I can't play quarterback at 55."
