University of Northern Iowa Athletics

Brawntae Wells Honored by Cedar Valley Character Counts
5/6/2020 3:16:00 PM | Football
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Cedar Valley Character Counts named junior Panther defensive end Brawntae Wells the honoree of the 2020 Pursuing Victory with Honor Award.
Cedar Valley Character Counts recognizes individuals, organizations and businesses and educators who exemplify the Six Pillars of Character -- trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.
Wells is a key contributor on the UNI Football team who notched 55 tackles, six sack and 8.5 tackles for loss on the season. He also had a pair of fumble recoveries and an interception returned for a touchdown in UNI's FCS playoff win over San Diego. He is a back-to-back nominee for SB Nation's Piesman Trophy.
Off the field, he is known for his extensive community service. He volunteers with the Juvenile Court Services in Waterloo, the Central Iowa Juvenile Detention Center and Tomorrow's Leaders Youth After-School Program. He also works on team service projects, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service event at the UNI-Dome this year where thousands of meals were prepared for school children to take home on weekends to help with food security.
He finds passion helping young men of color and at-risk youth make better choices to work out of the judicial system. He also built a curriculum in the after-school program to help young participants understand the importance of goal setting, responsible social media use, building healthy relationships and good decision-making skills.
He was named the Institute of Sports and Social Justice October Playmaker of the Month for his work off the field.
He carries a 3.4 GPA as a Family Services major.
Cedar Valley Character Counts annually hosts a banquet to recognize the honorees but because of the Coronavirus this year, the event was forced to cancel. Recipients will receive a plaque of recognition. Further public recognition will be determined at a later date.
Cedar Valley Character Counts recognizes individuals, organizations and businesses and educators who exemplify the Six Pillars of Character -- trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.
Wells is a key contributor on the UNI Football team who notched 55 tackles, six sack and 8.5 tackles for loss on the season. He also had a pair of fumble recoveries and an interception returned for a touchdown in UNI's FCS playoff win over San Diego. He is a back-to-back nominee for SB Nation's Piesman Trophy.
Off the field, he is known for his extensive community service. He volunteers with the Juvenile Court Services in Waterloo, the Central Iowa Juvenile Detention Center and Tomorrow's Leaders Youth After-School Program. He also works on team service projects, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service event at the UNI-Dome this year where thousands of meals were prepared for school children to take home on weekends to help with food security.
He finds passion helping young men of color and at-risk youth make better choices to work out of the judicial system. He also built a curriculum in the after-school program to help young participants understand the importance of goal setting, responsible social media use, building healthy relationships and good decision-making skills.
He was named the Institute of Sports and Social Justice October Playmaker of the Month for his work off the field.
He carries a 3.4 GPA as a Family Services major.
Cedar Valley Character Counts annually hosts a banquet to recognize the honorees but because of the Coronavirus this year, the event was forced to cancel. Recipients will receive a plaque of recognition. Further public recognition will be determined at a later date.
Players Mentioned
PST: 2025 MVFC All-Conference Honors
Friday, December 05
PST: Matt Pedersen - 2025 UNI Athletics Hall of Fame Inductee
Friday, December 05
Todd Stepsis Press Conference - Nov. 24, 2025
Monday, November 24
Todd Stepsis & Players Postgame Interview - Nov. 22, 2025.
Monday, November 24




