Game vs. Saints inspires Dunbar

Lance Dunbar, running back for the Dallas Cowboys, is shown in this photo.
Lance Dunbar, running back for the Dallas Cowboys, is shown in this photo.

IRVING, Texas -- Lance Dunbar knew the drill. So many times growing up in New Orleans, the routine was the same for his family.

Pack the car, turn on the weather reports and flee their home.

Dunbar was a sophomore at De La Salle High School in New Orleans in late August 2005. Dunbar's family joined a crawl of traffic toward Mississippi with Hurricane Katrina approaching.

"We were excited to leave," Dunbar said. "The kids, we were all excited because we stayed in this church, ate snacks and played video games all day and didn't go to school, so it was free time, like vacation for us. We were expecting to go back, but this time it was different."

Dunbar didn't return to New Orleans like every time before when hurricanes threatened New Orleans.

In many ways, he's been running ever since he dodged one of the deadliest and costliest hurricanes in U.S. history.

Dunbar returns to his hometown tonight, 10 years after Katrina hit, to play in front of several family members against a Saints team he grew up rooting for.

It's his fourth season as a Cowboys running back, and he's finally found his niche after years of Cowboys coaches saying they wanted to get Dunbar more involved

Dunbar leads the team with 21 receptions for 215 yards through three games, including a career-high 10 catches for 100 yards last Sunday against Atlanta.

"I always dreamed of making it to the NFL. I didn't know where," Dunbar said. "I wanted to play for the Saints, but I didn't know what course my life was going to take, what was going to happen."

That was certainly the situation for Dunbar, his sister, his step-brother and his mother, Patricia Jones, when they left Mississippi a few weeks after Katrina hit, bound for North Texas. His mother had secured FEMA lodging at a hotel in Fort Worth.

The trailer the family had used to move their clothes and personal items was stolen upon arriving in Fort Smith. All Dunbar had left was the clothes on his back.

"Everything my mom went back to get was in that trailer, things we really needed and cherished," Dunbar said. "We had to go to FEMA to get free clothes."

Dunbar said his mother thought it was best the family stay in North Texas with the chaos that was unfolding in New Orleans. Dunbar enrolled at Haltom High School, at the urging of a family friend, and joined the football team for his senior season.

He ended up as the team's MVP, went to North Texas and became a standout there before signing with the Cowboys in 2012 as an undrafted rookie free agent.

Dunbar had to remain patient as the club's third running back the past three seasons, with DeMarco Murray leading the way.

Perhaps Dunbar has benefited the most from Murray bolting to Philadelphia in free agency. Finally, the Cowboys have turned to Dunbar in their offense as he's turned short catches into long gains.

Waiting his turn hasn't been easy.

"You go from being the man in college and coming here and not playing much, having to make it on special teams," Dunbar said. "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."

Cowboys Coach Jason Garrett said Dunbar has always had a "fantastic" attitude.

"You're not going to have a better teammate on your team," Garrett said.

Dunbar, 5-8, 195, is fast and elusive, similar to Darren Sproles (5-6, 190), the former Saints running back who now plays for the Eagles.

Sproles was one of Dunbar's favorites.

"Just his size and my size, we compare to each other," Dunbar said. "That's why I watched him and liked him. He's a small guy out there making plays."

Dunbar lacks Sproles' credentials, but he's come a long way in finding a home with the Cowboys. The journey took many twists and turns as the result of a natural disaster.

"Every situation you're in, you've got to not take it for granted and try to take advantage of it," Dunbar said. "No matter if it's good or bad, life moves on. If I would've sat back and thought about having to move to Texas and Katrina and all of that, it's just going to hold me back. I couldn't have moved on.

"Life goes on. You've got to move on and somehow make the situation better."

Sports on 10/04/2015

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