Indiana University Athletics
Ricky Brookins Makes a Fund-Raising Difference
5/29/2018 11:21:00 AM | Football
By: Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - A Snapchat message convinced Indiana running back Ricky Brookins as nothing else could of two things:
Veteran football equipment manager Matt Stauder will never, ever, concede his fight against cancer.
Brookins has his back.
Stauder emerged from recent surgery defying Hodgkins Lymphoma with the social media equivalent of a raised middle finger.
"He said on Snapchat, 'I don't give a dang about this. I'm here to help my guys out. I'll be back soon,'" Brookins says.
He pauses.
"That's the kind of person he is."
Brookins has spent the last three years seeing that person nearly every day in and around Memorial Stadium as a do-whatever-is-asked force. Now that cancer has intruded, with all the scary challenges that represents, he refuses to let Stauder fight alone.
Brookins' weapon of choice is a GoFundMe page, an online fundraising website that generated more than $20,000 in the first 22 days, starting with IU alum Dave Anderson's $1,000 donation.
"I had no idea this would happen," Brookins says. "I had never done a GoFundMe page. I didn't know how they worked."
He does now.
"Ricky does everything," IU running backs coach Mike Hart says. "He works hard at it. He wants to keep it going until Matt is cured."
As a manager, Stauder spends most of his time with Hart and the running backs. The brotherhood bond runs deep, which is why Brookins has joined with fellow running backs Connor Thomas and Morgan Ellison to deliver a potentially difference-making opportunity.
"I said, 'I'll set it up and we can all promote it together," Brookins says.
And so they have.
*****
When word surfaced that Stauder had cancer, "I shot him a text that said, 'We're here for you,'" Brookins says, "but there had to be a way to help him with more than kind words."
Enter GoFundMe and the guidance of Brookins' girlfriend's mother, who "Helped me make it look more professional."
The results reflect the can-do spirits of Brookins and Stauder, head coach Tom Allen says.
"You can talk about things to the team," Allen says. "You can put slogans on the wall, and we do, but when you see guys living it out, that's different. Life is about doing.
"It's not natural to do things that are sacrificial. It's natural to do things for yourself, take care of yourself, work hard so you can advance.
"Both guys go beyond that."
Brookins' extra effort in this, Allen adds, isn't surprising.
"Ricky ran with it. That speaks to the kind of young man he is. It's a selfless mindset. His heart is for others. That's living out LEO (Love Each Other). He wasn't trying to get credit for it. He wanted to help somebody.
"When you do something like that, it changes peoples' lives.
"That's pretty awesome."
Awesome focused on helping with cancer treatment's high cost. The GoFundMe page was launched earlier this month and money followed, forcing Brookins to raise the donation goal, from $2,000 to $5,000 to $15,000 and then $25,000.
Through it all, Brookins has faced a steep learning curve. A big jolt came when he checked the GoFundMe page a couple of days after launching and it showed $7,000 had been donated with a $5,000 goal.
"I didn't want to discourage people from donating," he says. "I was like, 'Oh, shoot!' Connor said, 'You've got to raise the goal.'
"So I did."
*****
To understand the dynamics involved, let's start with Stauder, a senior who treats his manager duties with rarely seen passion and commitment.
Here's an example:
IU managers sometimes catch balls during quarterback passing drills. Last season quarterback Richard Lagow was firing passes and Stauder was one of two managers catching them.
Well, he was supposed to catch them.
"Lagow has a really strong arm," Hart says. "Matt thought a pass was going to the other guy."
It wasn't.
"When Matt looked up, the ball drilled him in the head. It gave him a concussion. That's how hard the throw was. Matt wasn't cleared to be at the next game. He wasn't supposed to do anything."
Stauder wasn't about to let that stop him from doing his job -- in this case, keep track of all the running back carries. Stauder charted plays while watching the game on TV, then left the printed results on Hart's desk.
"I got in Sunday morning to grade film and the stat sheet was there," Hart says. "He broke the doctor's rules and charted everything. That's the kind of kid he is. He's phenomenal."
Here's another example:
"Being a manager can be stressful," Brookins says. "You have to set up stuff over here, and then set it up over there, and coaches don't like to wait.
"No matter what, Matt is always smiling. He's always happy. He's so energetic. He laughs with us during drills."
Cancer hasn't diminished Stauder's enthusiasm.
"He said, 'I'm going to come back stronger than ever,'" Brookins says. "He said, 'I'm going to kick this thing's butt.'"
Stauder aims to prove it during August camp.
"He said, I want to help my guys out. I'll be on my game helping my guys.'
"We're like, 'We get it, you love it, but we want you to get healthy.'
"He said, 'When I come back, I'll try my hardest to do everything.'"
Brookins pauses again.
"He's so selfless."
No one understands that better than Hart.
"He's the most humble kid," Hart says. "He wanted to thank all the players and coaches and those who have donated.
"I can't wait till he gets back. He's my right-hand man. If I forget something, he has it right there."
Stauder's cancer treatment began in early May. It was a tough follow-up blow to his father's fatal heart attack last fall.
That tragedy didn't stop Stauder from making IU's next game.
"That's how important Indiana is to him," Hart says.
Adds Allen: "His mindset was, I've got a job to do. My dad would want me to do my job and do what I'm supposed to do. It spoke to where his heart was.
"He manages for the love of Indiana University, the program, the guys on the team. He is so dependable. He works so hard. The players see it. In return, when he's in need, they immediately want to help."
Hart is convinced Stauder will beat cancer.
"He told me, 'Coach, I'll be there for the first game (Sept. 1 at Florida International).' I said, 'If the doctor says it's OK, we'll get it done.'
"Matt is everything this program embodies. He cares about everybody but himself. He's a strong kid, a resilient kid.
"I have no doubt he'll be back."
Adds Allen: "Our hearts are heavy for Matt. He has a long battle ahead of him. We'll be right with him every step of the way."
*****
Brookins continues spreading the fundraising word.
How could he not?
Stauder and his family need it, for one thing.
It's Brookins' nature, for another.
He's reached his final football season when so many figured he wouldn't, not at a Big Ten program, at least. He succeeded not because of dominant size (he's listed at 5-8 and 191 pounds) and skill as much as heart and effort.
Brookins was a Terre Haute North High School superstar, rushing for a state-best 2,012 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior. But he was undersized and underappreciated by major college teams, which didn't faze him. He walked on at IU, excelled as a scout team redshirt player and was awarded a scholarship each of the next four seasons.
"It's like Coach Allen said, every team needs a Ricky Brookins," Hart says. "He earned his way.
"He's a fifth-year senior. He's the oldest guy in the (running backs) room. He shows everybody on the team, it's not about you, it's not about me, it's about the team."
Brookins remains a likely key backup to Ellison, last year's leading rusher.
Still, overlook him at your own risk.
Last season, Brookins busted a career-best 64-yard run against Purdue that set up a late first half field goal. His 19 catches were the second most by a Hoosiers running back.
In the 2016 Foster Farms Bowl, he rushed for 53 yards on 12 carries. In 2015, he had 10 carries for 72 yards.
"Ricky busts his tail," Allen says. "He's an unsung hero. He works in the quiet. He doesn't get a lot of opportunities, but when he does, he's a big force. He does whatever he's asked to do without ever expecting anything in return."
Brookins' expectations this offseason center on football preparation and fundraising emphasis.
As he says on the GoFundMe page, "We need your support! With the help of the community, staff and players, we can pull Matt through the fight of his life. He has supported our team every day, and now it's our turn to assist him."
As far as what his next donation goal will be, Brookins says, "I have no idea. I could leave this up until the middle of football season. I have some other things to re-spark interest. I want to raise as much as I can."
Stauder very much appreciates it.
"Matt said, 'I can't thank you enough,'" Brookins says.
In fact, thanking goes both ways.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - A Snapchat message convinced Indiana running back Ricky Brookins as nothing else could of two things:
Veteran football equipment manager Matt Stauder will never, ever, concede his fight against cancer.
Brookins has his back.
Stauder emerged from recent surgery defying Hodgkins Lymphoma with the social media equivalent of a raised middle finger.
"He said on Snapchat, 'I don't give a dang about this. I'm here to help my guys out. I'll be back soon,'" Brookins says.
He pauses.
"That's the kind of person he is."
Brookins has spent the last three years seeing that person nearly every day in and around Memorial Stadium as a do-whatever-is-asked force. Now that cancer has intruded, with all the scary challenges that represents, he refuses to let Stauder fight alone.
Brookins' weapon of choice is a GoFundMe page, an online fundraising website that generated more than $20,000 in the first 22 days, starting with IU alum Dave Anderson's $1,000 donation.
"I had no idea this would happen," Brookins says. "I had never done a GoFundMe page. I didn't know how they worked."
He does now.
"Ricky does everything," IU running backs coach Mike Hart says. "He works hard at it. He wants to keep it going until Matt is cured."
As a manager, Stauder spends most of his time with Hart and the running backs. The brotherhood bond runs deep, which is why Brookins has joined with fellow running backs Connor Thomas and Morgan Ellison to deliver a potentially difference-making opportunity.
"I said, 'I'll set it up and we can all promote it together," Brookins says.
And so they have.
*****
When word surfaced that Stauder had cancer, "I shot him a text that said, 'We're here for you,'" Brookins says, "but there had to be a way to help him with more than kind words."
Enter GoFundMe and the guidance of Brookins' girlfriend's mother, who "Helped me make it look more professional."
The results reflect the can-do spirits of Brookins and Stauder, head coach Tom Allen says.
"You can talk about things to the team," Allen says. "You can put slogans on the wall, and we do, but when you see guys living it out, that's different. Life is about doing.
"It's not natural to do things that are sacrificial. It's natural to do things for yourself, take care of yourself, work hard so you can advance.
"Both guys go beyond that."
Brookins' extra effort in this, Allen adds, isn't surprising.
"Ricky ran with it. That speaks to the kind of young man he is. It's a selfless mindset. His heart is for others. That's living out LEO (Love Each Other). He wasn't trying to get credit for it. He wanted to help somebody.
"When you do something like that, it changes peoples' lives.
"That's pretty awesome."
Awesome focused on helping with cancer treatment's high cost. The GoFundMe page was launched earlier this month and money followed, forcing Brookins to raise the donation goal, from $2,000 to $5,000 to $15,000 and then $25,000.
Through it all, Brookins has faced a steep learning curve. A big jolt came when he checked the GoFundMe page a couple of days after launching and it showed $7,000 had been donated with a $5,000 goal.
"I didn't want to discourage people from donating," he says. "I was like, 'Oh, shoot!' Connor said, 'You've got to raise the goal.'
"So I did."
*****
To understand the dynamics involved, let's start with Stauder, a senior who treats his manager duties with rarely seen passion and commitment.
Here's an example:
IU managers sometimes catch balls during quarterback passing drills. Last season quarterback Richard Lagow was firing passes and Stauder was one of two managers catching them.
Well, he was supposed to catch them.
"Lagow has a really strong arm," Hart says. "Matt thought a pass was going to the other guy."
It wasn't.
"When Matt looked up, the ball drilled him in the head. It gave him a concussion. That's how hard the throw was. Matt wasn't cleared to be at the next game. He wasn't supposed to do anything."
Stauder wasn't about to let that stop him from doing his job -- in this case, keep track of all the running back carries. Stauder charted plays while watching the game on TV, then left the printed results on Hart's desk.
"I got in Sunday morning to grade film and the stat sheet was there," Hart says. "He broke the doctor's rules and charted everything. That's the kind of kid he is. He's phenomenal."
Here's another example:
"Being a manager can be stressful," Brookins says. "You have to set up stuff over here, and then set it up over there, and coaches don't like to wait.
"No matter what, Matt is always smiling. He's always happy. He's so energetic. He laughs with us during drills."
Cancer hasn't diminished Stauder's enthusiasm.
"He said, 'I'm going to come back stronger than ever,'" Brookins says. "He said, 'I'm going to kick this thing's butt.'"
Stauder aims to prove it during August camp.
"He said, I want to help my guys out. I'll be on my game helping my guys.'
"We're like, 'We get it, you love it, but we want you to get healthy.'
"He said, 'When I come back, I'll try my hardest to do everything.'"
Brookins pauses again.
"He's so selfless."
No one understands that better than Hart.
"He's the most humble kid," Hart says. "He wanted to thank all the players and coaches and those who have donated.
"I can't wait till he gets back. He's my right-hand man. If I forget something, he has it right there."
Stauder's cancer treatment began in early May. It was a tough follow-up blow to his father's fatal heart attack last fall.
That tragedy didn't stop Stauder from making IU's next game.
"That's how important Indiana is to him," Hart says.
Adds Allen: "His mindset was, I've got a job to do. My dad would want me to do my job and do what I'm supposed to do. It spoke to where his heart was.
"He manages for the love of Indiana University, the program, the guys on the team. He is so dependable. He works so hard. The players see it. In return, when he's in need, they immediately want to help."
Hart is convinced Stauder will beat cancer.
"He told me, 'Coach, I'll be there for the first game (Sept. 1 at Florida International).' I said, 'If the doctor says it's OK, we'll get it done.'
"Matt is everything this program embodies. He cares about everybody but himself. He's a strong kid, a resilient kid.
"I have no doubt he'll be back."
Adds Allen: "Our hearts are heavy for Matt. He has a long battle ahead of him. We'll be right with him every step of the way."
*****
Brookins continues spreading the fundraising word.
How could he not?
Stauder and his family need it, for one thing.
It's Brookins' nature, for another.
He's reached his final football season when so many figured he wouldn't, not at a Big Ten program, at least. He succeeded not because of dominant size (he's listed at 5-8 and 191 pounds) and skill as much as heart and effort.
Brookins was a Terre Haute North High School superstar, rushing for a state-best 2,012 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior. But he was undersized and underappreciated by major college teams, which didn't faze him. He walked on at IU, excelled as a scout team redshirt player and was awarded a scholarship each of the next four seasons.
"It's like Coach Allen said, every team needs a Ricky Brookins," Hart says. "He earned his way.
"He's a fifth-year senior. He's the oldest guy in the (running backs) room. He shows everybody on the team, it's not about you, it's not about me, it's about the team."
Brookins remains a likely key backup to Ellison, last year's leading rusher.
Still, overlook him at your own risk.
Last season, Brookins busted a career-best 64-yard run against Purdue that set up a late first half field goal. His 19 catches were the second most by a Hoosiers running back.
In the 2016 Foster Farms Bowl, he rushed for 53 yards on 12 carries. In 2015, he had 10 carries for 72 yards.
"Ricky busts his tail," Allen says. "He's an unsung hero. He works in the quiet. He doesn't get a lot of opportunities, but when he does, he's a big force. He does whatever he's asked to do without ever expecting anything in return."
Brookins' expectations this offseason center on football preparation and fundraising emphasis.
As he says on the GoFundMe page, "We need your support! With the help of the community, staff and players, we can pull Matt through the fight of his life. He has supported our team every day, and now it's our turn to assist him."
As far as what his next donation goal will be, Brookins says, "I have no idea. I could leave this up until the middle of football season. I have some other things to re-spark interest. I want to raise as much as I can."
Stauder very much appreciates it.
"Matt said, 'I can't thank you enough,'" Brookins says.
In fact, thanking goes both ways.
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