FEATURED: Darius Anderson
9/28/2019 7:00:00 AM | Football
This feature article originally appeared in the TCU Gameday Program, which is free to all fans at each TCU football home game. Each week, GoFrogs.com will publish the features from the previous edition of the TCU Gameday Program.
By Arden Shirley - TCU Athletics Communications Intern
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Darius Anderson is known as the flashy, fast running back on the field, with a nickname, Jet, to match.
The name came about when Anderson was 14-years-old. His close friend, Zachary "Esco" Escobar, gave it to him, originally calling him Jetson, and then shortening it Jet. Although Jet is the seemingly perfect way to describe Anderson, who's speed routinely causes problems for defenses, the nickname is a way for Anderson to honor his childhood best friend.
Esco was one of the first people Anderson met after moving from Mesquite to Houston when he was only eight-years-old. The pair grew up playing football and walking to school together. However, during their senior year of high school, Esco passed away in a car accident, sending Anderson to his first, and only funeral.
"I know everyone just thinks [the nickname] is because I'm fast, but Esco gave it to me, and it sticks with me. I'm never going to get rid of it," Anderson said.
Jet, the name nearly everyone calls Anderson, fits him well. He's electric on the field, recently awarded the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award for his career-high 179 rushing yards and two touchdowns vs. Purdue. The award, named after Anderson's hometown legend, is given to the top offensive performer(s) of the week. Getting to this point, Anderson recalls, is due, in part, from the help of his teammate, Kyle Hicks.
"I remember in the summer after workouts freshman year, when everybody left, [Hicks] helped me learn plays and work on different stuff. He didn't have to do that, so he taught me a lot. About being a man, too," Anderson said.
He now finds himself in Hick's shoes, with two freshman running backs, Darwin Barlow and Daimarqua Foster, coming up behind him. Anderson and Sewo Olonilua, the dynamic pair at running back, have taken it upon themselves to impart as much wisdom on the younger duo as possible.
"They look up to us. It's like we're big brothers. They want to learn, they always ask questions, and I'm trying to give them as much as I can," Anderson said, "The better we are, the better the team is."
This isn't the first time Anderson has been looked up to by younger guys. As a youth advocacy major and business minor, he seeks to impact kids in a real way. After losing a close friend at a young age, he knows it's never too early to get involved. So, over the summer, Anderson coached Little League football and hopes to use football as a platform to positively impact the youth wherever he goes.
"I've been on a path, when I was younger, that wasn't the best. And I can see where it can go, so I just want to help as much as I can. If that's talking, coaching, helping in any way I can," Anderson said.
At TCU's annual Meet the Frogs, Anderson got another first-hand experience in meeting fans and kids. He saw himself in a lot of the kids, reflecting back on his childhood and his time at TCU.
"It goes by so fast. It's a humbling experience. To see the kids' joy from a high-five, knowing they have the same dream I had, and they're watching me. It's just a cool experience. It's part of why I play," Anderson said.
With a National Championship as the goal, and Esco's legacy to carry on, Anderson seeks to make this last season his best season, as Head Coach Gary Patterson says.
"It's a gift from Coach P to us. Not every head coach would say that or do that. It's special. We just have to go out and do it now," Anderson said.
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