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MU grad making a difference in law enforcement
A decorated 16-year career in the Indiana State Police (ISP) had its beginnings at Manchester.
Before Brandon McBrier graduated in 1996, he heard that his degree in accounting could help him make strides in the field of law enforcement.
“I was told that an accounting degree is a ‘golden ticket’ as so many agencies are looking for individuals with that background to work on white collar crimes,” Brandon said. “I started my career path in the state auditor’s office, but I still had passion for law enforcement. So, in January 1998 I applied for the state police and, a year later, I found myself standing in front of the academy ready to begin.”
A two-time ISP Bremen District Trooper of the Year and the 2013 Trooper of the Year for the state of Indiana, Brandon says Manchester played a big role shaping who he is as an officer. “I enjoy knowing that when I do my job well, I have made a difference, for the better, in this world. I may not know exactly how I have made that difference, but I know that the world is a safer, better place because of what I do.”
A wrestler and star javelin thrower on the MU track and field team, Brandon remembers the time that his MU coaches and professors invested in him. “They were not just helping me to succeed on the field or graduate,” he says, “They were instilling within me character qualities and discipline that I would carry with me long after I graduated.”
At Manchester, Brandon was a three-time Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference champion in the javelin. His skills took him to the national stage, where qualified for the 1995 NCAA Division III outdoor track and field championships. There, he placed in the top 15.
Though he didn’t have the same conference and national success as a wrestler, Brandon says, “The experience was amazing. How could it not be with two men like coaches (Rick) Troxel and (former head coach Tom) Jarman? They, like so many during my collegiate career, made a big difference in where my life went.”
His Manchester values continue to inspire his personal life, too. He and his wife, Beth Rose McBrier, also a 1996 MU graduate, have three children of their own and recently became guardians for a young man from their church family at New Hope Freewill Baptist in Warsaw. And when his former coach Troxel was laid up following knee surgery, Brandon and other MU wrestling alums showed up at Troxel’s home to do his yard work.
That’s nothing out of the ordinary for Brandon McBrier. “It all comes down to helping others,” he said.
By Mark Adkins, MU Sports Information Director |
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