For Broderick Cobbs, football was more than a skill and hobby. It was a saving grace from racism – admittedly, it did not always work. Cobbs thought if he became an essential part of the team and school, maybe he would not get in trouble for the things black students got in trouble for and the school could treat him like a white student.
When Cobbs graduated from Jack C. Hays High School around 2001, he left Buda as soon as the opportunity opened. Cobbs said he loves Buda and its people and still has friends that live in his hometown, but there is no return to a city that rejected the Cobbs family. As soon as they all had the chance, they left.
“Countless times I would watch my mom cry and my dad trying to keep his calm,” Cobbs explained his mother’s reaction to racist comments parents made to her when she drove the school bus.
