Cobbs Got A Call From OSU

UNTLifer · August 29, 2005

Brett Vito: LSU’s Miles once called on Cobbs

08:03 AM CDT on Monday, August 29, 2005

Brett Vito

North Texas coach Darrell Dickey thought he had the running back from north of the border all wrapped up when national signing day approached in 2001.

Oklahoma and Tulsa – not to mention every other Division I-A team in the country except UNT – had yet to offer Patrick Cobbs a college scholarship. A chance at a second offer didn’t emerge until a member of Les Miles’ coaching staff at Oklahoma State called at the very last minute.

“Oklahoma State called me on the same afternoon that I signed to play here,” Cobbs said last week.

It turned out the Cowboys were just wasting their time.

Cobbs never wavered and committed to the Mean Green. That decision is one Dickey says is just an example of the character Cobbs has shown throughout his career with the Mean Green.

Cobbs’ actions back then shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone who has followed UNT’s program. This is a player who was elected a team captain last week, is known for his work with charities and served as an unofficial coach last season when a knee injury ended his season just two games into the year.

Those accomplishments served as stepping-stones to Saturday’s season-opening game against LSU in Baton Rouge, La., and a campaign that will bring Cobbs’ career full circle.

Cobbs can count the number of college coaches who believed in his ability to play on the Division I-A level when he was a high school senior on his fingers and toes with digits to spare. Most of those coaches will be on the Mean Green’s sideline on Saturday. Across the field will be Miles, who was the coach at Oklahoma State when the Cowboys coaching staff called Cobbs, who rushed for 4,729 yards and scored 61 touchdowns at Tecumseh (Okla.) High.

“That situation was one of the first things that showed us about Patrick’s character,” Dickey said. “A lot of times we are the only team recruiting a player, offer him a scholarship and he commits. Sometimes another bigger school will lose somebody, call and want to talk. Some players jump ship in a heartbeat. It showed a lot about Patrick’s character and maturity when he knew that the only reason they called is because they lost somebody.”

As Cobbs enters his senior season, the story of the late call makes one wonder where both he and the UNT football program would be if he had made a different decision. Would the Mean Green be heading into the season having won four straight Sun Belt Conference titles and 25 straight league games? Would Cobbs have been a player at the end of a standout career in the Big 12 Conference or just a seldom-used backup?

Dickey hates to even think about what might have happened to the Mean Green without Cobbs, who won the national rushing title in 2003 with an average of 152.7 yards a game.

“There is no question he has been a key cog in our team,” Dickey said. “Patrick made some big plays his first year when Kevin Galbreath got hurt and has gotten better and better ever since.”

So good in fact that Cobbs is on the verge of becoming UNT’s all-time leading rusher. Ja’Quay Wilburn ranks No. 1 in UNT history with 3,120 yards with Cobbs right behind at 2,896 yards.

It’s only a matter of time before Cobbs moves to No. 1 on a list that also includes pro football legend Abner Haynes.

There is a good chance Jamario Thomas will pass them both later on in his career after rushing for 1,801 yards in his first season with the Mean Green. Even if that is the case, Cobbs will have had a hand in Thomas’ success as well. Cobbs became Thomas’ unofficial coach when he was lost for the year last season and helped the freshman adapt to the college game.

Dickey said Cobbs had as much to do with Thomas’ success last year as any member of UNT’s staff.

There is little doubt that Cobbs will go down as one of the best players in UNT history and enter the school’s athletic hall of fame. The course was set when Cobbs made a decision to stick by his commitment to the Mean Green instead of pursue a chance to play for a team his home state.

This week Cobbs will look across the field at a coach he could have ended up playing under. Just don’t expect Cobbs to wonder what might have been.

“I never even think about it,” said Cobbs, who can’t recall which OSU coach he talked to. “I found a place here and love it. I haven’t regretted it a day I have been here.”

Harry · August 29, 2005

What a class act!

SouthBendGreen · August 29, 2005

There isn't a more gracious guy that I've ever come across.

I remember last New Orleans Bowl, my friends and I had about 15 too many beers, not that I condone drinking! Anyway, we saw Patrick at a bar and we proceeded to whip him into submission for about 20 minutes. The whole time he was looking us in the eye and talking to us like we had been childhood friends. All this while being surrounded by some quite attractive coeds. It'll be sad to see him go, but I hope he sticks around the program in some capacity.

MeanGreenBuzz · August 29, 2005

Cobbs came into one of my buddies work yesterday and the guy helping him carded him. After he left my buddy about smaked the guy! He said "I can't believe you actually just carded Patrick Cobbs!"

The sad thing is is that is kind of the representation of this school in a nutshell. 50% of the school are fanatic FB fans that know every player by name and face the other half don't even know who Patrick Cobbs and Jamario Thomas are...