Coming or going, New Orleans has impacted life of Lance Dunbar

If you let Dallas Cowboys running back Lance Dunbar tell it, Sunday night’s game against the New Orleans Saints is no big deal, just another game.

He was with the Cowboys (2-1) when they played in New Orleans in 2013, so the trip back home for the Hurricane Katrina evacuee is nothing special.

“I don’t want to make it too big,” Dunbar said. “It’s just a football game back at home. I’m excited that my family gets to watch me play and I get to play in the Superdome in the stadium I grew up dreaming about playing in.”

That is typical of the even-keel and unassuming Dunbar, whose quiet nature belies his drive inside.

Those who know him best, namely his mom, Patricia Jones, and his dad, Lance Sr., will tell you Dunbar is bursting with excitement over the game.

While he was a member of the Cowboys in 2013, he saw no action in a 49-17 loss to the Saints (0-3) that could hardly be classified as a pleasant homecoming.

That’s why Sunday night’s game is so different and so special to Dunbar and his family.

The native son got his start in the youth leagues of unincorporated Terrytown on the Westbank just over the bridge from downtown New Orleans. He played as a freshman and sophomore at De La Salle High School before being driven to Texas by Hurricane Katrina 10 years ago.

He returns home as the focal point of the Cowboys’ passing game. Dunbar is tied for the team lead in receptions with 21 and leads Dallas with 215 receiving yards.

He’ll have upward of 40 full-time Saints fans, but lifelong Dunbar supporters, in the Superdome.

“Everybody is waiting for him to see him play,” Lance Sr. said. “All of his family is still there, grandparents on both sides. They want to see him play against the Saints. I’m so excited. I’m so happy for him. I knew his time was going to come.”

Lance Sr. lives in Houston and plans to drive to the game.

Mom will remain in Fort Worth with Dunbar’s stepdad, Joseph Jones. They won’t make the trip because she doesn’t like the nosebleed seats given to the fans of opposing teams.

But she will watch on television and wait on a signal from her son.

“My family is there,” Patricia Jones said. “My nieces, sister and brother are going. This is different because they are giving him that opportunity to showcase himself at home. I hope he gets his first touchdown at home. I told him to look up and throw me a sign.”

The game will be a homecoming of sorts for several Cowboys who are natives of the Bayou State, including cornerback Morris Claiborne (Shreveport), guard Ron Leary (Baton Rouge) and guard La’el Collins (Baton Rouge).

The Katrina factor

Dunbar will never forget where he came from, but he no longer considers New Orleans home.

It has nothing to do with his experiences in fleeing Katrina, but more about the new life he made here after moving to Haltom City.

He is somewhat uneasy saying he is better off because of Katrina, but he believes it gave him an opportunity at a better life.

“It helped build me,” Dunbar said. “What I had to go through, restart my life, meet new people. Here I grew as a person. It was bad that people died, lost their homes. I lost friends. But as a person I grew, learning how to interact with people of all races. Life moves on.”

Joseph and Patricia Jones and six children spent hours on Interstate 55 fleeing New Orleans, navigating the 152 miles to her hometown of Hazlehurst, Miss.

They made a temporary move to Fort Worth, securing a hotel room through FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, at a Best Western off Interstate 35W.

“When we hear ‘leave for a hurricane,’ we always got excited, because we got out of school, got to play games and sit around, do what kids do,” Dunbar said. “That happened. We left just like any other hurricane, expecting to come back.”

They planned to go back. But Dunbar had started school at Haltom High and was introduced to a brand-new world.

“On the first day of school, he came home and said ‘Can we just live here? I like it here,’” Patricia Jones recalled. “The community of Haltom High School treated him real nice. The coaches, everybody welcomed him.”

Being a big-time football star certainly helped Dunbar’s adjustment to his new city. Dunbar ran for 3,025 yards and scored 25 rushing touchdowns in his 2  1/2 seasons at Haltom.

But it wasn’t just about football. It was about the neighborhood. It was about the lifestyle. It was about being able to be a kid and enjoy life for the first time, now that he was away from the crime-ridden neighborhoods in New Orleans.

“I wanted to stay,” Dunbar said. “It’s different. You can have fun and live, didn’t have to worry about the crime and drama. It was too much drama. And football, too. The people and the fans. We didn’t have that many people going to the games and stuff back in New Orleans. This was the real deal. It was like playing in college.”

Those bonds he developed at Haltom proved pivotal in his choosing to continue his football career at the University of North Texas.

Dunbar grew close to former Haltom coach Clayton George, who left after Dunbar’s junior year to join the coaching staff at North Texas with the promise of coming back to get him.

“We bonded real quick,” said George, who is now an offensive assistant coach at Southlake Carroll. “It was obvious he was the best player. But it was his personality, his demeanor. It was a bond that was created between a player and a coach that you cherish.

“He was the first one I targeted when I got to UNT. He had a lot more opportunities and bigger offers. But the respect and relationship we had. He was real close to his mom. Staying close to home worked out perfectly for her and us.”

Patience and talent

Dunbar finished as North Texas’ all-time leading rusher, with 4,224 yards, and all-time leading scorer, with 49 total touchdowns.

And though he went undrafted in 2012, Dunbar never doubted that his day in the NFL would come.

“I was there when the draft was over,” George said. “The calls were coming in. And the one from Dallas. He said, ‘I’m going to make it. I’m going to do this.’ ”

Three years later and 10 years after escaping New Orleans because of Katrina, Dunbar is finally doing it.

The Cowboys have finally involved him in the offense after three seasons of limited action. He has found his niche as the third-down back in a role similar to that of the Philadelphia Eagles’ Darren Sproles and has made the most of it, just as he promised.

“It’s been very tough,” Dunbar said. “You go from being the man in college and coming here and not playing much, having to make it on special teams. I’m a humble person and I work hard, so it was hard sitting back and watching, but it made me a better person. It made me ready for this opportunity. It kept me grounded.”

The Cowboys always thought highly of Dunbar, but reps were limited with DeMarco Murray dominating the touches as a runner and receiver out of the backfield. Murray’s departure to Philadelphia opened the door, and Dunbar has run through it.

“I don’t think he has done anything different,” running backs coach Gary Brown said. “He just needed an opportunity and is showing what he can do. He knows his ability. He is a fighter. That’s the thing about him, he is such a mature guy. He is mentally prepared. He is physically prepared. When you put him in, you know you are going to get good things.”

Being patient, being humble and being prepared are traits Dunbar has possessed since he started playing football.

According to his dad, Dunbar started out as a lineman on his first football team at the age of 5.

“He played lineman the whole season, and the final game I asked them to let him play running back,” Lance Sr. said. “He went 75 yards for a touchdown on the first play. He’s been patient his whole life. He has always been humble. Whatever they ask him to do, he did. He doesn’t worry about nothing. He doesn’t complain. He just loves the game of football.”

And now he is headed back to New Orleans for a homecoming, and maybe a coming-out party.

“It’s been tough,” Patricia Jones said. “He got frustrated because he wasn’t getting much playing time. I talked to him all the time and told him, ‘Don’t give up and keep working hard. Your time will come.’ Now he is getting his chance and taking advantage of it. I’m very, very excited. It’s something we have all been waiting on.”

This story was originally published October 3, 2015 at 4:59 PM with the headline "Coming or going, New Orleans has impacted life of Lance Dunbar."