After a successful four-year college basketball career that earned him DIII News All-American honors in 2011, Brian Lecheler ’12 has moved on to a different arena. Lecheler, who had two academic semesters left to complete his NWC course work, had used his maximum four years of eligibility on the basketball court so he decided to don a football helmet for the first time since high school.
Lecheler was no stranger to the football field at Abbotsford (Wis.) High School, finishing his senior year as the 41st best receiver in Wisconsin according to MaxPreps, a national high school sports recruiting service.
After completing training camp this fall, Lecheler found himself as one of the team’s two starting wide receivers. He also tried his hand at returning kickoffs and found instant success. In the Eagles’ Sept. 10 home game versus Westminster College, Lecheler ran two kicks back for touchdowns from 84 and 90 yards.
Being a part of two different NWC teams, Lecheler found that the underlying theme remains the same. “Both Coach Grosz [basketball] and Coach Talley [football] have a real heart for the players, wanting to develop them as Christians first and athletes second,” he said.
