WESTFIELD, Indiana — In a sport that prides itself on toughness, Brian Mason ’09 showed a level of grit that won the respect of even hard-boiled NFL veterans.
On the final play of an Aug. 13, 2026, preseason game, the Indianapolis Colts special teams coordinator was watching the flight of a Hail Mary pass when two players, battling each other, crashed into Mason along the sideline. He crumpled to the turf, clutching his left leg — the impact of the collision dislocated his kneecap and tore ligaments.
What happened next caught the attention of his players and showcased the perseverance of a Denison alum who’s never allowed adversity to derail his circuitous coaching journey. Mason stood up, refused assistance, and limped to the locker room.
“They brought the (medical) cart out for him; he got up and he was like, ‘No, I’m walking it off,’” Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner told reporters. “He’s a dawg.”
Mason is the embodiment of resilience and fortitude. He’s suffered seven major injuries to his left knee, including two ACL tears in his first two years at Denison.
He hasn’t missed a single practice since the sideline mishap. In fact, on the morning after the injury, he hobbled into an Indianapolis area school to meet with one of his son’s kindergarten teachers, honoring a family commitment.
“It could have been worse,” Mason said after an Aug. 19 practice at the Colts’ training-camp facility. “ Most of the damage was the dislocated kneecap. Some of the things that did get torn, or partially torn, should hopefully be able to heal on their own.”
During a recent joint practice session with the Atlanta Falcons, Mason was in the thick of the action wearing a large leg brace. He barked instructions to players, corrected mistakes, and celebrated key blocks and long returns.
No scooter, no crutches, no cane. No surgery for the foreseeable future. The only thing coursing through his body was a passion for coaching and a mild anti-inflammatory.
Asked why he declined assistance on the night of the injury in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Mason replied: “It’s just the (Division III mentality) in me — somebody that loves the game and would do anything for it.”
Despite a serious knee injury in a preseason game, Brian Mason ’09 hasn’t missed a practice. He does wear a large leg brace on his left leg.
‘What a journey’
After practice, on a sun-splashed afternoon, Mason met with three visitors from his alma mater. In his fourth-year with Colts, he gladly donned a Denison hat for an on-camera interview.
“All the success that Denison has had this year is unbelievable,” Mason said. “I certainly follow along as much as I can, especially on social media to get updates on different things. I’m a huge fan.”
Brian Mason ’09 in his days with the Big Red.
It’s been 17 years since Mason left The Hill with degrees in economics and history. He’s added master’s degrees in education from Bluffton College, recreation and sport management from Purdue University, and kinesiology and sport management from Ohio State University, while either working as an assistant coach or serving as a graduate assistant, which offers a stipend and free tuition.
Mason spent five seasons (2017-21) at the University of Cincinnati as a director of recruiting/special teams coordinator, helping the Bearcats win a 2020 conference championship. He joined the University of Notre Dame coaching staff for one season in 2022, a year the Fighting Irish led the nation with seven blocked punts.
Since transitioning to the NFL in 2023, the Colts have been one of the league’s better special teams units, finishing second in the annual Sports Illustrated rankings in 2025. The franchise has a history of excellent special teamers from Pro Football Hall of Famer Adam Vinatieri to Pat McAfee. Mason, who grew up a Colts fan in nearby Zionsville, Indiana, feels obligated to continue that trend.
But no matter where he’s coaching, his allegiance to the Big Red never wavers.
Mason attends Denison Everywhere events in Indianapolis, and this spring returned to campus with his wife, Rachel, and three children to meet with football coach Jack Hatem. His only regret was not seeing Associate Vice President and Athletic Director Matt Tanney, whose brother Alex is the Colts’ passing game coordinator.
“Brian is a combination of super smart and tough,” said Hatem, who recommended Mason for his first job at Bluffton. “He is the ultimate grinder. From coaching Division III at Bluffton to the NFL. What a journey.”
Brian Mason ’09 offers instruction to kicker Spencer Shrader.
‘No Plan B’
Hatem was standing on the sideline in the fall of 2006 when Mason’s playing career ended. A second ACL tear in 12 months was a sobering coda to a brief college career built on all-out effort.
“It’s hard to explain the work Brian put into rehabbing that injury only to see it happen again,” said Hatem, who was the Big Red’s defensive coordinator at the time. That kid loves football so much.”
Even after four ACL tears dating to his high school playing career, the running back attempted another comeback, but failed his 2007 preseason physical.
Knowing how much the game meant to him, the coaching staff offered Mason a position as a student-coach, working with the running backs. He leapt at the opportunity.
Mason not only coached the Big Red but spent three summers at Denison interning with the Columbus Destroyers, then a professional indoor league franchise.
“I first thought about coaching when I was in middle school,” Mason said. “At that time, I thought I wanted to coach basketball growing up in Indiana, but I switched to really loving football. From that point, I knew I wanted to coach.”
Mason, who spent three years as a defensive assistant at Bluffton, had several frank conversations with Hatem. The Denison coach knew his former player had a degree in economics and a sharp mind. He could make a comfortable living in the financial sector.
“One day, I asked Brian, ‘What’s your Plan B if coaching doesn’t work out?’” Hatem recalled. “He looked at me and said, ‘There is no Plan B. I want to be a college football coach.’”
A Denison education can lead a graduate in many directions. In Mason’s case, it guided him to the top of the coaching profession.
“To me, the liberal arts education gives you the ability to think outside the box, the ability to have problem-solving skills, and to take a wide variety of classes across a lot of different spectrums,” Mason said. “It certainly taught me hard work. It was just a great experience.”
Relationship building
Special teams coordinators are the air-traffic controllers of football coaches. Players shuttle in and out of the lineup to satisfy demands from offensive and defensive coaches.
An injury to a starting defensive back might mean a key player on punt coverage is elevated on the depth chart and can’t be risked on special-teams duties that week.
With the exception of the kicker, punter, and long snapper, Mason is often working with young players and ones on the margins of the roster.
Which leads to another Denison hallmark: the ability to forge relationships.
“It’s just the nature of special teams,” Mason said. “You’ve got to connect with guys to motivate them. A lot of guys are here to play offense and defense. The special part about coaching special teams is you get to work with everybody on the team, which I think is fun. You get to develop the fundamentals of both offense and defense within special teams, but then you have to find ways to motivate those guys on why special teams are important, how it’s going to impact them as a player, and how it’s going to impact the game.”
Mason’s units were masterful a season ago. The Colts ranked first in punt coverage and second in kickoff returns. Despite having to use three kickers due to injury, the Colts ranked second in field-goal percentage (94.4).
Colts head coach Shane Steichen appreciates Mason’s grit in the face of injury but forced him to work the final two preseason games from the coaching booth. He will be back on the sidelines for the regular-season opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 13.
“I’m not doing anything special — I’m not running around, and I’m not an athlete,” Mason said of his decision not to take time off despite having a special teams assistant coach. “I wouldn’t want to miss it for anything. I certainly wouldn’t want to let those guys down. I demand max effort and toughness every single day from our guys and they certainly need to get it from me.”
Colts training camp offers fans a chance to see players up close and meet the team mascot.
From the field: Alumni advice for students
Brian Mason ’09 is one of at least a half dozen former Big Red football players to hold positions in various departments for NFL teams in recent years. He offered advice to current Denison players looking to break into college and pro football:
“It's a really competitive field, but obviously there's a lot of Denison alums that are getting into competitive fields whether that be Wall Street or coaching or something in technology. All of those fields are going to be fields that demand high work hours, and sometimes low pay. So you just have to go into it with an open mind, understanding the grind and the work you're going to have to put into it to get there. It's certainly not easy. You'll have to put in a lot of hard work, and do a really good job of trying to network and meet other people as you try to work your way up.”
