North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 94, No. 28, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 14, 2009 Page: 3 of 6
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Wednesday, October 14,2009
Page 3
o
Sports
Justin Umberson
Sports Editor
ntdaily.sports@gmail.com
Photo by Drew Gaines / Photographer
Funning back Lance Dunbar threads his way through the defense during practice Tuesday. Dunbar, an undeclared sophomore, was named the Sun Belt Conference
Offensive Player of the Week for his 224-yard game against the University of Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin'Cajuns.
Athlete o the Week: Smiling
football star Lance Dunbar
By Eric Johnson
Senior Staff Writer
Lance Dunbar took the
field Saturday night for his
first start in a Mean Green
uniform, embarrassed the
Ragin' Cajun defense, and
walked off the field with
224 yards, four touchdowns
and the Sun Belt Conference
Player of the Week Award.
Dunbar's four touchdowns
tied a school record, and he
now leads the team with 385
yards rushing and seven
touchdowns. The sopho-
more running back does it
all with an ear-to-ear grin
that he wears each moment
of the day.
"That kid is always
smiling, you can't get him to
stop," defensive captain Tobe
Nwigwe, a sociology senior,
said. "If he continues to work
as hard as he does, no one
can match his explosiveness.
I have not seen anyone with
that kind of skill set. There
is no doubt on my mind that
he can play on that next level
and star on Sundays."
The success so far this
season is nothing new for
Dunbar, as he grew up excel-
ling on the peewee fields of
Louisiana. At 5 years old,
anyone watching Dunbar
knew he had a bright future
as a football player.
"From the moment he
started playing you could tell
he was going to make some-
thing of himself," Dunbar's
mother Patricia Jones said.
"He was not even supposed to
start playing for another year,
and he went out there and out
played the older kids."
Forced to move
After spending his youth
and starting high school in
New Orleans, Dunbar and
his family were forced to
leave their home because of
Hurricane Katrina.
In the fall 2005, they moved
to Llaltom City, near Fort
Worth, in time for Dunbar's
junior year.
Despite leaving all his
friends and the life he knew
behind for a new environ-
ment, Dunbar made the
transition without a single
complaint.
"He made the move so much
easier on me," Jones said. "He
handled it with such matu-
rity, and set a great example
for his younger sister. I am so
proud of the man that he was
and still is today."
During his two full seasons
at Haltom High School,
Dunbar shined as a two-sport
star, lettering in track in addi-
tion to football.
On the track he honed his
speed for football, running
the 100- and 200-meter dashes
and leading the charge for the
speed relay
teams.
On Friday
nights,
Du nbar made
a living by
terrorizing
District 3-5A,
rushing for
over 1,000
yards in each
of his two
seasons.
Dunbar
earned first
team a 11 -
district
honors for
his final two
campaigns
at Haltom High School, and
was the team's most valuable
player his senior season.
"Lance is one of the most
remarkable talents that I
have ever seen," Llaltom head
coach Scot Hafley said. "He
makes a coaches job so much
easier because of his talent
and work ethic. He kept us in
a lot of games that we could
not have won without him."
Choosing UNT
When college coaches
started down the recruiting
trail, Haltom City was a
premiere destination because
of Dunbar's distinguishing
talent.
Oklahoma State University,
and the universities of
Colorado and Virginia were
all selling their programs, but
it was Dunbar's former high
school coach and current
Mean Green wide receivers
coach, Clayton George, that
reeled in the top-50 Dallas-
Fort Worth ranked recruit.
"I really trusted coach
George," Dunbar said. "We
had a really good relation-
ship during high school, and
I really wanted to come here
and have an opportunity
to play and help turn this
program around."
Earning playing time
While most freshmen
were busy being redshirted,
Dunbar proved to coaches
and teammates that he had
the talent and determination
to make an
impact from
the start.
"From
day one
watching
him, you
knew he was
a big play
guy," head
coach Todd
Dodge said.
"Lie pushes
himself, he
loves what
he does and
he will be a
big part of
what we do
here for a
long time."
As a true freshman, Dunbar
gained 229 total yards and
scored two touchdowns
despite getting limited carries
behind incumbent starter
Cam Montgomery, a post-
graduate senior.
The 5 - f o o t - 9 - i n c h,
200-pound lightning bolt
worked hard over the off
season, proving to his team
that he would do what was
necessary to get better and
help it win football games.
That attribute was noticed
by his suite-mate and current
starting quarterback Riley
Dodge.
"The guy is unbelievably
motivated," Riley Dodge,
the undeclared redshirt
freshman, said. "Lie is
always talking about foot-
ball, always working to get
better. He really understands
the game and will have a lot
Lance Dunbar
to do with us winning games
in the future."
The green blur that has
been running through
opposing defenses the last
two games is Lance Dunbar,
proving that he is a complete
running back. Back-to-back
games with more than 100
yards and multiple touch-
downs is what Dunbar expects
from himself.
"This is the standard from
now on," Dunbar said. "I will
not allow myself to play to
any other level. I came here
to help win football games
and that is what I will drive
myself to do."
Off the field
He has been an honor roll
student during every level of
grade school and continues
to excel in the classroom at
UNT.
Off the field, Dunbar is a
humble person who enjoys
spending time with his team-
mates and his family, and
always keeps an upbeat and
positive attitude.
"He is always laughing and
smiling and putting everyone
around him in a good mood,"
Riley Dodge said. "He is just a
goofy guy, who is a lot of fun
to be around."
Dunbar is undecided on a
major, but does enjoy working
with kids.
He is thinking about a
possible career in coaching,
if he does not suit up in an
NFL uniform first.
"Obviously I would love to
play on Sundays," he said.
"That is something every kid
dreams of. For now, I am just
focused on my teammates
and helping this program."
Jones has never missed one
of her son's games, and no
matter what path Dunbar's
career takes, she will always
remember her son's remark-
able performance Saturday.
"I was crying in the stands
because I was so happy for
him," Jones said. "I am so
proud for the man he has
become, and I know with the
kind of person and player he
is I will be going to games on
Sundays one day."
North Texas Daily
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I riathletes scare
away competition
ByJonah Kuehne
Contributing Writer
The last triathlon of
the season will be Sunday
at 7 a.m. in the Denton
Natatorium. The race
consists of a 250-yard swim,
16 miles of rolling hills on
a bike and a three-mile run
on a closed road.
In the spirit of the season,
the Monster Two Triathlon
will give competitors the
option to wear costumes.
The Mean Green partici-
pated in the event last year,
so the participants know
what to expect in this race
of ghouls and vampires.
"I like the natatorium
course and I actually prefer
it just because the roads
are so smooth," said Corey
Dennis, an undeclared
sophomore. "The hills are
just an obstacle that you
have to deal with. I'm not
worried about it."
Dennis, who is going to
do more races outside of
the club, is choosing not
to go with the Llalloween
theme.
"This is my last triathlon
race of the year," Dennis
said. "So I'm just going to
go out and race. I don't want
to worry about wearing any
kind of costume."
Club president Amanda
Poland said only a select
few of the racers in the NT
club are going to dress up,
and the majority is going to
concentrate on the race.
Denton has seen a lot
of rain in the past month
and the competitors might
have to deal with it in the
upcoming race, along
with the possibility of cold
weather.
According to Poland, the
temperature could actually
factor in on her decision to
wear a costume or not.
"If it's going to be warm,
I probably won't wear a
costume because of the
heating and cooling of the
body," Poland, a kinesiology
senior, said. "If it's going to
be really cold, I might dress
up, but at the same time, if
you're having extra clothes,
it'll interfere with the tran-
sition and it may impede
your bike and r un split.
Ben Drezek, a history
senior, won the Denton's
Old College Triathlon when
it ran at UNT and placed in
the Stonebridge Triathlon
in the 30 to 34 age group.
Drezek says he looks forward
to whatever the race brings,
especially the cold.
"I prefer the cold," Drezek
said. "A lot of people really
hate it, but I don't mind
it at all. Losing all feeling
and going numb means you
don't feel the pain. In the
heat you feel everything,
but some people do better
in it than others."
Photo by Augusta Liddic / Photographer
Triathlon member Chris Krueger crosses the finish line at the Old College
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North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 94, No. 28, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 14, 2009, newspaper, October 14, 2009; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth145726/m1/3/: accessed May 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.