Former Bills linebacker Dan Brandenburg inducted to Indiana Football Hall of Fame
WEST LAFAYETTE — The town of Rensselaer was abuzz during the late 1980s when a then-teenager named Dan Brandenberg began ascending atop the sports community.
Sports fans around town marveled at the natural athleticism the imposing 6-foot-5 Brandenburg possessed. He scored points easily as a basketball player and dominated in the gridiron with his strength and speed as a defensive end.
"We are a school of about 450 kids and we don't see many slam dunks on a typical Friday night or Saturday night," Rensselaer football coach Chris Meeks said. "When Danny would be playing we'd be seeing four or six dunks of 'em per night. Not just running dunks but jumping rim rattlers."
The devotion and love the town has for Brandenburg is as fanatical as ever, with over 50 people in attendance who stood after the former linebacker for the Buffalo Bills accepted his spot into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame last Sunday at Purdue Memorial Union.
"It's amazing to look around at the athletes that Indiana has produced at such a high level is quite the honor," Brandenburg said. "I could've told you every name that was in the crowd."
Brandenburg was eulogized by his father Steve, a longtime coach who was inducted into the Indiana Football of Fame in 2018.
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The younger Brandenburg recalled life carrying a clipboard as an 8-year-old and slowly building into one of the greatest players produced in the history of Jasper County.
"I was on the football field when I was 3 pushing sleds and I wrestled with my younger brother on the high jump mats," Brandenburg said.
Brandenburg reflected on his upbringing in Rensselaer and the advice he received from his father.
"Never show up to put in enough effort to just get it done," Brandenburg said. "If you're going to show up and you're going to do a job, do a great and be great at it. That applies to everything including paying your taxes."
Brandenburg dominated at Indiana State between 1992-95 with career totals of 215 tackles and 32 sacks, a record that still stands.
He was later drafted in the seventh round of the NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills in 1996 before making 42 appearances and 52 tackles with a forced fumble. Brandenburg is now a trainer for Athletes First and has mentored NFL stars like linebacker Micah Parsons.
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Ultimately, the way Brandenburg treats his clients is rooted back to his upbringing in Rensselaer.
"It's a small town of farmers, a lot of hard-working people and when you grow up with that, it gets instilled in any of your work," Brandenburg said. "I hope I represent Rensselaer well with work ethic and it was a great place to grow up."
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at ehanson@gannett.com, on Twitter at EthanAHansonand Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Dan Brandenburg inducted into Indiana Football Hall of Fame
