“He plays a lot bigger than he is.” Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips once said this about the 5 ‘8’’ wide receiver. Weighing 181 pounds, Brandon Powell might be one of the lightest players on the field. However, when it comes to taking on challenges, the 29-year-old is fearless.

It’s because Powell’s father continuously gave him challenges to analyze his toughness and love for playing football in his childhood. And guess what? He translated that into a successful NFL career! Thanks to his parents and the entire family’s support.

Who are Brandon Powell’s parents?

Born on September 12, 1995, in Deerfield Beach, Florida, Brandon Powell is the son of Brian Powell. His mother’s name and details are unknown, but it is reported that the couple, together with his grandmother, motivated and supported Powell to become a footballer. This is evident from what the athlete said once during an interview – “My dad, my grandma, my mom. This is what’s gonna take care of my family.”

So, for the player, it’s not just about breaking records, it’s also about using his football career to give his family the same opportunities to explore the world he has been fortunate to experience. Besides this, Brandon Powell’s dad played a huge role in his football career. How? Well, he was a footballer himself. Coached by Allen Jackson (the same high school coach that Brandon had), Brian Powell was a great footballer in his time.

So the Powell family lineage helped Brandon decide and achieve what he wanted from his life. But not just that, they never let him feel alone at any point on this journey.

How has Brandon Powell’s family played an integral role in his NFL success?

Remember, we talked about the challenges that Brandon Powell’s father used to give him? Yes! That task was to tackle Powell’s older brother and cousin, and vice-versa. The WR once said, “My older brother had to hit against me, and then he felt bad because he had to hit the little brother, but that’s just how we did it. And then my older cousin, he’s a lot bigger than all of us – he’s like 6-2. He’s big, and he used to have to get on his knees and play….and he’d still hit us hard. That’s what kind of made us tough.” In this way, the love and toughness for the game was developed in him by Brandon’s father, Brian Powell.

Brian also coached his son. As high school coach Allen Jackson said, “Brian was a very good football player. So as Brandon was growing up, I used to see him working out with his dad in the park and at the school. I knew early on that Brandon was going to be something special, because his dad was. His dad was a hard worker, [and Brandon] was a very hard worker…..There was just something about him. I don’t know if everybody knew this, but I had an inkling he was going to be able to do the things he’s doing now. And that included taking hits, going up against bigger guys.”

Brandon Powell has also admitted that Brian was his first coach, who was always like, “Go home, study, do your homework, go home and work out.” And that’s something he does now, as he loves being in a quiet place, focusing on his career. In addition, Brian always “used to be hard” on his children. That’s the reason tough coaching is the norm for Brandon. Thanks to his dad and the extreme support of his family who helped Brandon learn from every phase of his life and become a WR in the NFL.