The Details: Browning On Father - 'He Made Me The Man I Am Now'
June 17, 2016 | Football, General
By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
Jake Browning always wanted to play catch.
He would ask his father, Ed, to go out into the yard so they could toss the football.
He would ask his dad to loft the ball high in the air so Browning could pretend he was a kick returner.
He would ask the man who taught him the game to then try and make a tackle. And, when Browning thought his father was making things a little too easy, well, "I would get mad when he didn't try."
Looking back on childhood, thinking about his father and the role he has played in life so far, Browning started to smile.
"He made me the man I am now," Washington's sophomore quarterback said.
Whenever he needs advice, he turns to Ed, the former Oregon State quarterback.
"He's just been someone I could go to my entire life," Browning said. "Growing up, before I even started playing football, he was always there for me, whether it was a school issue, anything that came up, he had a good way to respond to it."
When he prepared for his first varsity start in high school, his father helped him. When he was going to his first school dance, Ed was there to share advice. As Browning worked to graduate from high school early to enroll at Washington in time for spring football, his dad provided guidance.
"I don't think I would have been able to do that if I didn't have my dad to lean back on," Browning said.
For all of those things children don't think about growing up, Ed was there to provide guidance, especially after Browning's parents divorced when he was 8.
"Sometimes, when you go through that, it brings you even closer, and I think that's where my dad helps me a lot, too. When you're young and you go through something like that, it's easy to go down the wrong path, because maybe you don't have both parents there in your ear, constantly on you."
When he was in high school, Browning cherished every day spent around his father.
"Some of the best times of my life were when it was me, my dad and my sister just hanging out," he said.
When it comes to football, father and son share a bond built through shared experiences. But, while they both love the game, Ed never pushed Browning to play. However, once the quarterback decided football was in his future, his father made sure Browning approached the game, "the right way."
"If you're going to work, this is how you're going to do it," Browning said. "You've got to do it the right way. You've got to work hard."
More than a year into his college career, Browning has become a Pac-12 standout, but when he goes home to California, he isn't a star, he isn't even a quarterback, he is simply Jake.
"When I go home, I'm still a scrub and I'm going to get made fun of," he said. "I like that. I'm more comfortable with people making fun of me."
When he's at school, rare are the days Browning doesn't talk to his father on the phone. After games, when Browning is interviewed, he knows his father is watching. When people tell the quarterback how polished he is with the media, he knows it is because of the lessons learned from Ed.
"He just taught me, so I didn't have to learn the hard way," Browning said.
In the early stages of first season with the Huskies, Browning didn't feel comfortable signing autographs. He couldn't understand why fans would want his signature. It was his father who explained the importance of interacting with those who spend their Saturdays at Husky Stadium.
"They paid to come out, you've got to stay out there and sign everything," Ed told his son. "Then your day is done."
Over the years, things haven't always been easy. But the tough times bring Browning's family closer together.
"It's just always being there for your kid," he said. "There were some times when we got in our fair share of fights, times when I didn't want to do something. He didn't budge on anything. It was his way, and that's how it's going to go. He gave me the freedom to make my own mistakes, but also taught me things I can learn from, maybe mistakes he made or things he's seen."
There will come a time when Browning decides he is ready to be a father. And, when that day arrives, when Browning starts his own family, he already has a plan for raising his son.
"I hope to be half the father he has been to me," Browning said, "because he has been a tremendous influence on my life."
