By TONY TAGLAVORE, Journal Sports
GRAMBLING — Garrett Urban sat in a team meeting led by his then-head coach, Broderick Fobbs.
But the subject was far from football.
“He handed out this red bag,” remembered Urban, now a senior kicker at Grambling State. “It was (like a) little envelope sleeve with a zipper. He gave them out to the whole team. He said, ‘If you get pulled over (by police), I want you to put your insurance, your ID — everything they would potentially ask for — I want you to put it in that envelope. I want you to grip the steering wheel, and whenever the officer approaches, I want you to say everything is in that red envelope, sir (or ma’am).’ That was an interesting meeting.”
And that’s just one example of the non-academic education Urban, who is White, has received during his six years at Grambling. Playing for one of the country’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Urban has learned about race, and what it’s like to be Black in America.
“At the end of the day, we’re all very, very similar,” Urban said. “There’s not a lot of forced interaction, per se, between cultures. There’s room for a lot of misinterpretation or misunderstanding. By going to an HBCU, you’re able to widen your horizons.”
Out of Fort Bend Travis High School in Houston, Urban received his first — and only — scholarship offer from Grambling. He didn’t have any hesitation about attending and playing at an HBCU.
“My parents did a pretty good job of acclimating me to different types of cultures,” Urban said. “When I was younger, I played soccer and ran track. The track club I ran for, it was predominantly Black. I think I was one of three White people on a 600-kid team. Whenever I was playing soccer, I came across all walks of life. I’m talking Middle Eastern, Islanders, Black, White. Being from Houston, a majority were Hispanic. There were kids from Denmark and Scotland that I played with. It’s insane how many cultures I’ve encountered.”
A captain on this year’s team, Urban isn’t having as good a season as he would like. Urban is 5-of-8 on field goals, including two misses in Grambling’s last game, against Florida A&M University. Urban also missed an extra point.
“It was an unfortunate day,” Urban said.
But Urban is not the type player to go deep in a valley about one bad performance.
“Whenever stuff like that happens, it’s just about damage control,” Urban said. “You know you’re not doing well. You’re not hitting it well, and things aren’t going good. You just try to limit the damage and try to make it through the next day. I’ve had bad days in the past. When they happen, it’s more about just getting back to my center. Those rough kicks — they don’t last long.”
Urban will graduate in December with two degrees in his back pocket (kinesiology and criminal justice). But before he pursues a career off the field, Urban would like the chance to continue his career on the field.
“Regardless of what my future holds, I would still like to reach my potential,” Urban said. “I’m not doing that right now. My kickoffs — I would like them to be higher as well as farther. I’m just trying to work that into the fold, as well as my field goals. I’m not hitting the ball consistently like I want to. I’m not stressing myself over it, but I would like to improve. That’s what I shoot for every day.”
Urban will get another chance to improve Saturday afternoon, when the Tigers host Alcorn State in a 2 o’clock contest at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium.
Contact Tony at SBJTonyT@gmail.com