Dean landed with a Katy family after living in foster homes through the 5th grade.

By Jake Shaw/TexasFootball.com

To hear Aundre Dean speak, you would think the Katy running back has walked a pretty easy path in life. He's positive. He's enthusiastic. Laughter works it way in and out of his speech.

But Dean has had plenty of excuses not to become the successful young man he is today. Had he not become a national recruit, had he not broken out last season with over 2,000 yards rushing at one of the state's top programs, few could've blamed him.

Dean bounced around foster homes until the fifth grade. His youngest sister, he doesn't even know her age (saying she'd be five or six right now) much less her whereabouts.

"I have no idea," where she lives, Dean said. "That's the tough part."

"I've come a long ways, I've made a lot of mistakes," he said, "but the most important thing is I've learned from them and I try to get better.

"When I got to Katy, they told me I could be great, but they told me I needed to be a role model and I needed to grow up."

When Dean says they, he means head coach Gary Joseph and the Katy staff. They recognized their now 6-1, 205-pound running back had character and athleticism, allowing Dean to split carries as a sophomore on the Katy varsity.

"He was pretty special," Joseph said.

Dean had about 800 rushing yards for Katy his sophomore season, sharing time with a senior starter. In the final game of his sophomore year, a 34-20 loss to Southlake Carroll in the 2005 5A Division II state championship, Dean rushed for 41 yards on 10 carries.

"It was a good experience," Dean said. "I got to learn from another running back, watch what he did, and then get my chances."

The on-field potential to Joseph was obvious. But the coach also knew Dean needed to mature before the player could realize his on- and off-field expectations.

"We knew that he had the potential to be a complete football player because of his competitiveness," Joseph said. "We just felt like he needed to grow up a little bit."

Dean acknowledged he needed growing up. That realization came when his adopted parents, Katy residents Michael and Jennifer Dean, came into his life before the fifth grade.

The pair was the aunt and uncle of a counselor at a foster home who had grown especially close to Dean.

"She tried to adopt me," Dean said of his counselor, "but she was single and she was young, and she didn't really qualify."

So her aunt and uncle stepped in, and life has changed for Dean since.

"It was a blessing," Dean said.

The second blessing came when his new parents prodded their new son out of the house and onto the football field. That's where all boys his age in Katy would be.

"My parents wanted me to get into something to meet people," Dean said. "I didn't really like it at first. I just wanted to sit around the house and be lazy."

That attitude obviously didn't last long. Dean soon fell in love with the sport. Last season, he emerged as Katy's offensive star, rushing for 2,110 yards and 26 touchdowns. With each passing week, Dean noticed increased attention from college recruiters.

He said it started with the form letters sent to many juniors. He didn't think the interest was serious. But by the end of his junior campaign, the interest had materialized into offers from Texas A&M, OSU and Nebraska.

When Dean committed to A&M nearly two weeks ago, it wasn't the culmination of a lifelong dream of becoming an Aggie. Growing up, Dean didn't follow college football.

"It kind of just came about," he said. "I was never a really fan of any college. I figured if I ever had the opportunity to play, I'd just go and make the most of it.

"If you get the opportunity, just take it and run with it and do the best you can."

His allegiances, of course, are now heavy with the Aggies. And he repeated over and again how hard he'll work before and once he gets to College Station.

After telling of the trials he faced before moving in with his family in Katy, Dean seemed miffed that someone could question how he has adopted his attitude on life.

"It's pretty much self-explanatory," he said. "I've learned, I just try to keep a positive attitude. God has just laid everything out for me. All I have to do is take care of my business. So far, He hasn't let me down."

After a brief pause, Dean finishes his thought.

"Playing football keeps me positive too," he said. "When I wake up, I can't wait to work out, I just want to keep getting better.

"I just love football."

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