Real World Resilience: Cowboys Kicker Brandon Aubrey

A Story of Hard Work, Perseverance & Resilience

I just finished a series of posts on the topic of resilience. (Click here if you would like to read that series.) Meanwhile, NFL football started back in full swing. We were feeling the draught at our house. How about you? It’s my opinion that sports is the best TV programming out there nowadays! Anyway...I digress...

In the NFL week 2 we were gobbling up multiple games, and hit upon the Dallas Cowboys versus the New York Giants.

Well, let’s just say, the fans of football everywhere got introduced to Brandon Aubrey, if you weren't already aware of this rising star.

At 30 years of age and in only his third season as an NFL kicker, he was setting records by the game. Against the Giants, he kicked a 64-yard field goal to force an overtime! Then just after pushing the game into OT, he hit a 46-yard field goal as time expired to win it for Dallas, 40-37.

Suddenly, his name was on the lips of every sports fan! Who is this Aubrey guy? I did what every curious fan was doing: jumped on the web to find out his story.

What I found was not an overnight success, but the story of a hard-working, perseverant, talented young man who has displayed resilience throughout his young life.

Brandon’s journey to the NFL...

✔️ Based on media research, (which has blown up since Brandon’s record-setting performance in week 2),  Brandon’s overnight success probably started with a supportive environment in his childhood. Apparently, his parents instilled a strong work ethic and were present to cheer him on in his early athletic ventures in pee-wee football and soccer.

✔️ Because of the parental support and freedom to explore his interests, Brandon discovered his talent for soccer. He enjoyed much success in the well-developed youth and club soccer programs of Plano, Texas. Although he played football in middle school, by the time he was in high school all his efforts were focused on soccer, where his excellence won him several honors, and eventually led to collegiate scholarship opportunities.

✔️Brandon went to Notre Dame on a soccer scholarship and was recognized for his performance – All-ACC honors, soccer All-American, etc. After college, he entered the 2017 MLS SuperDraft and was picked 21^st overall by Toronto FC. But he did not break through into the main roster; and he eventually transitioned out of professional sports.

✔️He pivoted his focus to using his degree from Notre Dame to become a software engineer. Meanwhile, his wife encouraged him to think about trying kicking in American football. She would watch an NFL game and say, “You could do that!,” referring to seeing successful field goal kicks of signifigance distance.

✔️And so, Brandon started training with a kicking coach a few times a week during his off hours of his day job, gradually developing his placekicking skills. In 2022 he was drafted into the United States Football League (USFL) as his first gig as a kicker.

✔️He performed well – leading in several kicking categories – and helped his team, the Stallions, win championships both years he was their kicker. This drew attention from the NFL...

✔️In July 2023, he signed on with the Dallas Cowboys. And wasted no time breaking records: Among them, the most consecutive field goals made to start an NFL career; very high percentage from long distance (50+ yards); setting franchise records for the Cowboys (e.g. longest field goal in a regular game).

Every place you see a ✔️is a data point in Brandon’s timeline where he was being shaped into his future self – his values were being formed, his decision-making  and response patterns were being fashioned. And all of this development occurred over what appears to be the foundation of a stable, supportive family environment.

It seems that all along his experiences, he was also learning and choosing how he would respond to situations set before him.

What I observe is his choices seem to reflect the qualities that make up a life of developing resilience.

Remember, one of the basic definitions I shared of resilience is: The ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.  

How essential is that quality for a football kicker when any one game can include multiple opportunities for success or failure – and not just for himself, but for his team and their entire season?! I can’t imagine the pressure a kicker has to handle being singular in center-stage, with all eyes on you, with only one shot at putting it through the uprights each time.

Brandon Aubrey’s story reminds us that resilience is rarely an overnight success. It’s the result of daily choices, hard work, and the willingness to grow through what you go through. His journey is proof that setbacks can become setups for something greater.

In the end, what makes Brandon Aubrey stand out isn’t just his leg strength—it’s his character. Calm under pressure, humble in victory, grateful in the journey. These are the same qualities each of us can cultivate in our own arenas of life.

I invite you to consider:

·       Identify one resilience trait you’d like to strengthen—focus on it this week.

·       Pray (or meditate) on the areas of your life where you need resilience right now.

·       Encourage someone on your team, at work or at home, who may be “under pressure.”

·       Share your own “grow through what you go through” story with someone close to you.

*My offer of support: If you contact me via ‘chat w/ me’ on Perils & Pearls, I will gift you a thirty-minute coaching session to talk about how you might develop your resilience through the struggle(s) you are currently facing.

*And if you have been stirred to further explore your unique wiring – strengths, passions, challenges - & you would like to experience a strength assessment with a certified life coach, I invite you to contact me.

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Blessed to play a part ~

g