By T. Scott Boatright
As a hard-nosed running back for Carroll High School and Grambling State University, Broderick Fobbs always seemed to land on his feet.
Now the former head coach of the G-Men has done it again after taking over as the running back coach for the Ruston High School Bearcats.
“That’s a big deal,” said RHS head coach Jerrod Baugh. “I think everybody is fully aware about what a big deal it is, especially for the kids. The experiences he’s had, all the places he’s been, and just the great guy he’s been for our kids and the coaching staff – he’s going to be a lot of help for me. Not just for coaching the running backs, but helping on the offense overall. He’ll be a lot of help.”
As a former college football head coach Fobbs adds to a strong RHS coaching corps that includes former NFL players Kyle Williams and Ken Wright.
“Those guys have seen so much football at so many different levels, you can pick their brain about anything,” said Baugh. “And not only about game time. It’s about practice organization, organizing things in the building and all of those things they had experience doing.
“And then on top of that the Xs and Os part of it. Coach Williams played 13 years in the NFL. Coach Wright played eight or nine years in the NFL, and then you’ve got Coach Fobbs that is here, along with a lot of different other coaches that bring a lot of other aspects. It’s probably the diverse coaching staff and background that I’ve worked with and it’s really good to have.”
As head coach at Grambling State, Fobbs guided the Tigers to a 54-32 overall record, including two Southwestern Athletic Conference Championships, two Celebration Bowl appearances and a Black College Football National Championship. He was also a three-time SWAC Coach of the Year.
“We’ve been through a lot as a family,” Fobbs said. “There’s a lot of change going on in my family. My daughter is going into high school as a ninth grader, and my younger daughter is coming up right there behind her. It was one of those things where we just wanted to stay put and see what happens.
“It’s really been about being around here and going to all the practices and games and being able to really support my own kids for a change. I’ve pulled into so many other people’s kids for years, that now I’m doing that with my own children.”
This won’t be Fobbs’ first experience on the high school level.
“When I started out I coached in Waco, Texas, before going to grad school,” Fobbs said. “I coached there for three years before coming back to Louisiana.
“I’ve always had a lot of respect for guys on this level. In high school, you’re teaching kids about football, but even maybe more importantly, you’re teaching them about life. I love being back around this atmosphere. It’s refreshing and maybe what I needed at this point. I’m just excited to be out there working with these players and keep working toward the future.”
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