In November 1987, Lehigh hosted Lafayette in the season-ending Rivalry, the last game played at historic Taylor Stadium. Sophomore backup quarterback Todd Brunner ’90, hungry to see action, met with the special teams coach and asked to suit up. He got his wish and will always remember the raucous moment when he lined up for the opening kickoff, sprinted downfield as the ball was airborne, and made his first tackle.
Brunner continued on special teams throughout his junior year. As a senior, he led the offense, cementing his name in the record books for completions, touchdown passes, and passing yards.
While he hung up his cleats years ago, his love of the game still runs deep. Today, that passion fuels him as a scout in his 14th year with the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
A Football Family
Brunner grew up in the game. Every weekend had him on the field and in the stands. His games. His brothers’ games. His father’s games.
His dad, John, coached at Princeton and Temple before moving up to the NFL, where he coached running backs for the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings. He also served as offensive coordinator with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and finished his decades-long career scouting for the San Francisco 49ers.
Brunner’s brother won a college football national championship in 1979, was a sixth-round pick in the 1980 NFL Draft, and played six seasons with three NFL teams.
Not many young players get to work with NFL quarterbacks on drop-back and throwing drills, but Brunner took full advantage of life around the game. When he settled in Lawrence, New Jersey, for high school, his small team had him playing on both sides of the ball.
While Brunner was the signal caller on the field in his junior and senior years, recruiters came calling. Lehigh was among them. After a recruiting weekend on campus, Brunner was sold.
As a quarterback behind Mark McGowan ’89 and Jim Harris ’89, he waited for his time to shine.
That opportunity came his senior year. He became the “neck-roll” quarterback since he never gave up that piece of protective equipment from his special teams days. He led an offense ranked among the best in the country. Brunner amassed 3,516 yards.
He still watches footage from that Rivalry game. The loss makes him sick. But his time at Lehigh was top notch. He studied business management and made close friends with his brothers in Delta Upsilon. The friends gather annually to play golf and take in a Lehigh game — the perfect opportunity for Brunner to mix business and pleasure.
Life as a Scout
Brunner covers the entire Northeast region for the Seahawks, traveling to games every weekend from South Carolina to Maine. He plans out a packed fall schedule and evaluates players from major conferences such as the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12, as well as smaller leagues, including the Patriot League.
The work has changed as the transfer portal and name, image, and likeness have altered why and where players compete. Advanced analytics supplement traditional evaluation methods.
Data is only one piece of the puzzle. Scouts also assess game film, live performance, highlight reels, combine results, workout observations, physical exams, and face-to-face interviews.
“Getting to know a player is a key piece to our draft strategy,” says Brunner. “We want to find guys who love the process and the game. They eat, drink, and sleep football.”
Brunner and the scouting team seek players who care more about the team’s mission over individual accolades. They want to see buy-in and bonds more than what he calls bullsh*t.
Ultimately, it comes down to talent and a scout’s gut instinct. But the processes help eke out which players are the real deal.
Brunner’s path to scouting was steady. After graduating from Lehigh, he coached at Temple while earning a Master of Education in sports administration. An internship with the Philadelphia Eagles’ scouting department led to a full-time role. He spent a year with the Cleveland Browns, then 12 years with the San Francisco 49ers before heading to Seattle.
Run the Damn Ball
The “12th Man,” Seattle’s famously passionate fan base, remembers the dreams of back-to-back Super Bowl wins being dashed against New England in the final seconds at the goalline when quarterback Russell Wilson threw an interception instead of handing the ball off to Marshawn Lynch, one of the top running backs in the league.
Brunner wears a baseball cap with these words on it: Run the Damn Ball. The entire team received one — less a reminder of that mistake and more a reminder of football fundamentals.
That loss was softened by this past season’s championship. The Seahawks are now 2-1 in Super Bowl appearances during his tenure. Brunner has one ring and will get the other one soon.
He pulls it out when he gets dressed up for family weddings or visits back to Lehigh. The players and coaches at Goodman Stadium love seeing it.
His family has attended each Super Bowl appearance. He’s been married to his wife, Nancy, for 30 years, though he subtracts 11 years in jest when he adds up his days on the road. They have two grown children, Annie and Chad. Nancy’s a teacher, so they get to enjoy extended time together when he’s home for a long stretch during early summer … once the NFL combine and draft are complete.
The combine is when the scouts really dig in. Each team interviews 45 players and evaluates them through a battery of physical tests. Brunner is the blur on the television screen as players complete the 40-yard dash. He sits at the finish line and times each one.
He’s been lucky enough to spot top talent first, players he’s seen at college games who advanced through every stage and ultimately build NFL careers.
That’s the payoff for Brunner — the culmination of hard work, instinct, and a lifetime of football in his blood.
