Investment in success | Trae Bremer’s Campbell journey

Every student at Campbell who earns a scholarship has a story – like Trae Bremer, who was able to stay in college because of scholarships and seek his Divinity degree after multiple knee surgeries wrecked his college basketball career.

A basketball standout in Kansas, the 6-foot-9 Bremer came to Campbell in 2011, but his injuries (which began as a senior in high school) limited him to just one exhibition game and forced him to medically redshirt his freshman year in Buies Creek. The knee injuries carried over into his sophomore year, and Bremer eventually learned that if he continued to try to play basketball, he would eventually need knee-replacement surgery.

“I wondered what was going to happen to me,” Bremer recalled. “I loved this school- I met my wife here, and this was my home. I wouldn’t have been able to afford to stay here, and I would have had to go back to Kansas and attend an in-state community college.”

Not helping his situation, Campbell replaced the coaching staff that recruited Bremer after his sophomore year. On the day he met the new coaches, Bremer approached the now former Director of Athletics Bob Roller and drummed up the courage to ask him about his future.

“I was nervous, but when I asked him, Mr. Roller just smiled and told me it’s all taken care of,” Bremer said. “He said, ‘Trae, we know your character. We know your situation. We saw your work ethic. We need to keep high-quality character guys around. You’ll be with us until you graduate.”

Bremer cried when he heard the news. Today he is the associate minister of children and youth at Rolesville Baptist Church and is set to earn his Master of Divinity degree in the spring.

“I realized God had used basketball as a tool to get me where I wanted to be,” he said. “I’m here to further my education and go into the ministry. This wouldn’t have been possible without the scholarships I’ve received at Campbell.”

Story courtesy of Billy Liggett, Director of Publications & Campbell Magazine Editor. To learn about the Campbell Leads campaign and how to support student scholarships, visit campaign.campbell.edu.