Dunbar found right fit when he selected UNT

Posted Wednesday, Sep. 15, 2010

Special to the Star-Telegram

The allure of playing for a team in a BCS automatic-qualifying conference wasn't lost on North Texas junior running back Lance Dunbar when he was weighing his college options as a senior at Haltom High School in 2007.

He was one signature away from the instant national exposure that comes with playing in the Big 12 or the ACC, with scholarship offers from Oklahoma State, Colorado and Virginia.

Yet for all the appeal, first-rate facilities, television exposure and stiff competition those schools had to offer, they lacked in two very important areas that the UNT Mean Green did not: proximity to home and an established life-long friendship with one of the coaches.

"My high school coach, Clayton George, left Haltom to be the receivers coach at UNT," Dunbar recalled. "It was real cool. UNT was close to home and close to my family. I had a great relationship with the coaches. It made it easy on me."

George, who is now the offensive coordinator at Southlake Carroll, coached Dunbar during his junior season at Haltom before leaving for a three-year stint at UNT. It didn't take him long to establish a special connection with Dunbar, who spent his first two years of high school at football power New Orleans De La Salle before moving to Texas after Hurricane Katrina.

Sure, the football side of Dunbar was intriguing after he rushed for more than 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns as a sophomore in New Orleans before garnering first-team all-district selections in his junior and senior years at Haltom. But his character off the field and in the classroom were equally impressive.

"When I left Haltom there were tears on both sides just because I didn't want to leave Lance," George said. "I told him then that I didn't know what his future held, but maybe someday we would get back together."

As fate would have it, they did, and it has turned out to be a worthwhile decision for both sides.

A hamstring injury to starting running back Cam Montgomery thrust Dunbar into the starting role in UNT's fourth game last season. He proceeded to lead the Sun Belt Conference in scoring and finished 15th in the nation and second in the conference in rushing at 114.83 yards per game.

An honorable mention All-American by Sports Illustrated, Dunbar was fifth nationally in rushing touchdowns (17) and seventh with 19 total touchdowns. His 1,378 total yards rushing were the fourth-highest single-season total in school history and fifth-most in conference history.

"I knew I had it in me," said Dunbar, a boulder of a back at 5-foot-9, 190 pounds. "It was just a matter of getting playing time."

Factor in a severe turf toe injury during the last six games that required an injection before each game, and his 6.9 yards-per-carry average -- which ranked second in the NCAA among backs with at least 200 carries -- becomes that much more impressive.

"The way I look at it, it doesn't matter what school you are at," said Dunbar, who also had 300 yards receiving in 2009. "If you are good and stand out, people will see that and you can make it anywhere."

Dunbar is the second-leading rusher in the Sun Belt Conference with 222 yards on 40 carries (5.6 average). If he weren't the focal point of defenses before, he certainly will be Saturday on the road against Army (1-1) as the Mean Green (0-2) ushers in a new quarterback behind an offensive line that has been riddled with injuries and given up seven sacks this season.

Count George among those who think Dunbar will do just fine.

"The proof is in the pudding," George said. "I watched him Week 1 against Clemson's first-team defense go over 100 yards [117 yards on 23 carries].

"I am biased toward Lance, but I would take him at any school, anywhere. I think he is that special. I'll see him playing on Sundays."

That's an alluring thought that is definitely not lost on Dunbar. For now, though, he'll continue to bask in the spotlight he's created for himself on Saturdays with the Mean Green.