Cowboys’ Dunbar reflects on Hurricane Katrina before return to New Orleans

IRVING, Texas _ Lance Dunbar knew the drill. So many times growing up in New Orleans, the routine was the same for his family.tmpplchld Pack the car, turn on the weather reports and flee their home.tmpplchld Dunbar was a sophomore at De La Salle High School in New Orleans in late August 2005. With Hurricane Katrina approaching, Dunbar’s family joined a crawl of traffic toward Mississippi.tmpplchld “We were excited to leave,” Dunbar recalled. “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.”tmpplchld Unlike every time before, Dunbar didn’t return to New Orleans. In many ways, he’s been running ever since he dodged one of the deadliest and costliest hurricanes in U.S. history.tmpplchld Ten years later, Dunbar _ in his fourth season as a Cowboys running back _ will return to his hometown Sunday night to play in front of several family members against a Saints team he grew up rooting for.tmpplchld After years of Cowboys coaches saying they wanted to get Dunbar more involved, he’s finally found his niche in the offense. Through three games, Dunbar leads the team with 21 receptions for 215 yards. Last Sunday against Atlanta, Dunbar had a career-high 10 catches for 100 yards.tmpplchld “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.”tmpplchld 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.tmpplchld Upon arriving in Fort Worth, the trailer the family had used to move their clothes and personal items was stolen. All Dunbar had left was the clothes on his back.tmpplchld “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.”tmpplchld Dunbar said his mother thought it was best the family stay in North Texas with the chaos that was unfolding in New Orleans. At the urging of a family friend, Dunbar enrolled at Haltom High School and joined the football team.tmpplchld His senior season at Haltom, Dunbar was the team’s MVP. He went to North Texas and became a standout there before signing with the Cowboys in 2012 as an undrafted rookie free agent.tmpplchld The last three seasons, Dunbar had to remain patient as the club’s third running back, with DeMarco Murray leading the way.tmpplchld 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.tmpplchld Waiting his turn hasn’t been easy.tmpplchld “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.”tmpplchld Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Dunbar has always had a “fantastic” attitude.tmpplchld “You’re not going to have a better teammate on your team,” Garrett said.tmpplchld Dunbar (5-8, 195) has become a weapon for the Cowboys similar to Darren Sproles (5-6, 190), the former Saints running back who now plays for the Eagles. Dunbar is fast and elusive.tmpplchld “He (Sproles) was one of my favorites in New Orleans. 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.”tmpplchld Though Dunbar lacks Sproles’ credentials, 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.tmpplchld “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.tmpplchld “Life goes on. You’ve got to move on and somehow make the situation better.”tmpplchld ___tmpplchld (c)2015 The Dallas Morning Newstmpplchld Visit The Dallas Morning News at www.dallasnews.comtmpplchld Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.tmpplchld