Sep 08, 2010
Where Are They Now? - Brandon Roberson - Back Home Again
July 20, 2010
When former All-State running back Anthony Evans graduated from Pearland High School after a sparkling four-year career to set the standard by which every other running back would be measured -- the obvious question to head coach Tony Heath was, "Who is going to replace Evans?"
Evans led Pearland to an 8-4 season in 2000 while getting a 35-13 win over Deer Park in the Astrodome for the first post-season victory in 50 years for the Oilers.
However, the 2001 season proved to be Pearland's greatest in school history as Heath's chargers reeled off 13 straight wins to capture a first-ever Class 5A Region III Division I championship to advance to a first-ever 5A Division I state semifinals.
The Oilers came up short in the semifinal contest against San Antonio Taft 21-10 that wasn't decided until late in the fourth quarter at the Dome leaving the Oilers with a school-record 13-1 season mark that still stands today.
At the beginning of that 2001 season, coach Heath was asked who was going to replace Anthony Evans?
When Brandon Roberson was a freshman at Pearland High School in 2000, head coach Tony Heath began to hint that he had another runner that would follow in the footsteps of record-setting Anthony Evans who was closing out his illustrious high school career that same year.
While many thought it would be impossible to find an immediate replacement for Evans, who was instrumental in seeing the Pearland football fortunes make one of the most incredible turnarounds in Texas football history, Roberson stepped up his sophomore to prove that Heath wasn't just blowing hot air.
Roberson shared running back duties with senior Jeremy Brown during his first year on the varsity in 2001 and rushed for 1,243 yards on 175 carries for 15 touchdowns while Brown won the league rushing title with 1,386 yards on 165 carries and 10 touchdowns giving the pair a combined 2,629 yards and 25 touchdowns. The one-two punch of Brown and Roberson helped the Oilers to 13 straight wins to set a new PHS winning mark while advancing to the Class 5A Division I state semifinals.
Evans was the prototype running back that set the standard and Roberson continued his development and would eventually capture two of Evans' rushing records. Roberson rushed for 2,294 yards and 25 touchdowns his junior year breaking Evans' single-season rushing mark of 2,055 yards. Roberson closed out his illustrious high school career by breaking the single-game rushing mark as well with 347 yards against Baytown Lee in the second round of the playoffs. The speedster finished out his senior year with 1,688 yards on 221 carries and 19 touchdowns placing him as the No. 8 all-time leading rusher in Texas Class 5A history (5,235 yards) with 65 touchdowns.
Roberson lost his single-game rushing record to Fozzy Whittaker (UT) in 2006 when Whittaker set a new school and Houston area rushing mark with 415 yards against Clear Creek.
Pearland is the only school in Texas football history to have three running backs among the top 10 Class 5A all-time leading rushers. Over the past few years, Evans is now at the No. 4 slot with 6,192 yards and 66 touchdowns. Whittaker joined the top 10 with 5,717 yards and 51 TDs to move to No. 6 all-time while Roberson has dropped to No. 10 on the all-time list.
Roberson was a SuperPrep All-Southwest Region pick, a second-team All-State selection by the Texas Sports Writers Association, a two-time All-Greater Houston honoree, a two-time District 23-5A Offensive MVP, a 2003 Touchdown Club of Houston pre-season All-Greater Houston pick, a member of the 2003 NFL Global Junior Championship USA team, a member of the Texas High School Coaches Association North-South All-Star game, and participated in the Texas-Louisiana Bayou Bowl All-Star game.
Pearland was 31-4 during his three-year tenure including a perfect 10-0 regular season mark his sophomore year while capturing the District 24-5A championship and a first-ever Class 5A Region III crown.
It came as no surprise that Roberson would be recruited by some of the top college football programs including Kansas and Utah.
However, Roberson followed former All-State center Trevor Rees to Northwestern University and was able to play as a pure freshman for the Wildcats.
One of his highlights at NU was to be one of just a few players in NU history who ran, caught and threw for a touchdown.
Roberson graduated from Northwestern in 2008 with a degree in communication studies with an emphasis on African-American History and Literature.
The highly decorated running back has made it full circle as he returned back home to Pearland and is presently the offensive coach at Barry Miller Junior High while teaching Texas History.
His growing up under the Heath and the coaching staff certainly had a vital impact on his life to this day.
"One of the things that I remember coach Heath saying to us was, 'Character is who you are when no one else can see you,'" Roberson said.
Roberson looked back at his time at Pearland and gives the coaches credit for preparing him for the next level.
"When I arrived at Northwestern, I was mentally ahead of most of the incoming freshman as it related to football," Roberson said. "I was mentally tough and was able to go through the Boot Camp at NU much easier than some of my fellow freshmen teammates because of the training I experienced at Pearland High School."
Roberson, 24, believes it is important to share his life lessons with the young athletes he is now working with at Barry Miller.
"I try to give the players very simple things to try to remember," Roberson said. "I emphasize that every player must have a good attitude if they are going to move forward. A bad attitude is a step back."
Former Pearland coach Mike Allison, who moved over to coach at Dawson, had some words of wisdom that Roberson readily recalls.
"Coach Allison would come over to me before a game and say, 'Make the most of it!' Roberson recalled.
Roberson is very happy to return to Pearland and has aspirations to move up to the high school coaching ranks with the ultimate goal of possibly being a head coach in the future.
Meanwhile, Roberson left a glowing legacy at Pearland High School and the young players he mentors certainly have someone to idolize in their quest to reach the greatness that Roberson achieved during his playing days.