(Kelsey Charles)
It’s 3 p.m. on a Monday afternoon at Valley Ranch, the Dallas Cowboys’ headquarters in Irving, Texas, and the office is as busy as ever. The winding halls of the one story building are alive with the hustle and bustle of the pending season, and the excitement from the recent draft is still lingering in the air. The building is constructed like a maze; the winding hallways lead one farther and farther back into the depths of the company. Past the locker room, through the narrow entryways and beyond the coach’s offices and weight lifting area lay a small set of grey cubicles that house the media department.
Despite its meager appearance, the department serves as one of the main links the Ranch has to the outside world. It is here that all of the broadcast, print and radio production takes place.
Around the first corner, a mass of a man sits at his desk, barely hidden by the synthetic grey cubicle walls that surround him. He’s wearing his usual uniform of khaki pants and a light blue button down as he taps away furiously, finger by finger, at his latest article for DallasCowboys.com on the small HP laptop in front of him. The juxtaposition of his physical size versus the laptop before him is almost comical – the image seems somewhat like a cartoon. A stack of neatly scrawled notes on prospects and game footage sits to his left along with an iPad stocked full of game tape, which he refers to frequently as he continues his writing. His concentration is undeniable; football is his passion after all.
He takes the white iPod headphones out of his ears as he hears someone approaching and turns around. “Well look who’s here!” he says with a big grin on his face. His grey-blue eyes light up with laughter as his larger than life personality immediately takes over. He jumps into an animated conversation with his visitor, mixing small talk and friendly banter with the latest football news and developments. Bryan Broaddus’ love of football knows no bounds.
“You can tell he lives and breathes football,” said Derek Eagleton, the internet director for DallasCowboys.com.
Eagleton brought Broaddus, a former NFL scout and personnel man, in a year ago to his department in an effort to try and give fans an educated perspective on the game.
“One of the things that I thought was important was to get someone who really understands the X’s and O’s of football,” said Eagleton. “Most of the guys that write and talk about football, and the Cowboys in this market, never played professional football – never worked in professional football. I think there is a different perspective that someone who has actually been in a war room has that is different than someone who hasn’t.”
Broaddus’ love affair with football began at the ripe old age of 9 years old – the same age that his son Bennett is now. Both his father and uncle played the game and showed an interest in helping the young Broaddus gain a greater understanding of the sport. His love of football only grew as he signed on to play at the collegiate level as a center at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. After college, he got involved in recruiting, which later let to a position as a scout for the Green Bay Packers where he was a member of the 1996 Super Bowl Championship team. After Green Bay, he headed to Philadelphia where he led the draft efforts for the team in 1998. Four of his eight picks for the Eagles that year ended up becoming pro-bowlers in 2005.
While the idea of being a member of the media was not on Broaddus’ radar for most of his career, the move has been a successful one so far.
“From the moment we brought Bryan in, we’ve gotten great feedback from fans. They appreciate the level of understanding that he has for the game,” said Eagleton. “A lot of the things that he does around evaluating players and giving the kind of insight to what really happens on draft day and in war rooms – preparing for the draft and evaluating players throughout the season, whether they’re on your team or other teams. It’s enlightening to them because it’s different. It’s something that’s not really out there anywhere else.”
When he’s not at work, Broaddus still stays connected to the game and fans that he loves. He has a loyal following on Twitter, 24,000 strong, that he consistently interacts with on a daily basis.
“I think he really gets a kick out of educating the fans,” said Eagleton.
Not only has Broaddus had an impact on the Dallas Cowboys’ fan base, but on his co-workers as well.
“It’s been really nice to have someone with NFL experience on staff,” said Ed Cahill, a multimedia producer and webmaster for DallasCowboys.com. “He’s always a great reference to go ask the football-related question, whether it’s, “What goes on behind the scenes? How do I evaluate a player on film? What is something I can look for in the game?” It’s great to have a person who has seen all that as a reference just an office away.”
So how important is football to Broaddus?
“His favorite sport is football and his second favorite sport is spring football,” said Nick Eatman, a co-worker and writer for DallasCowboys.com. “He’s as dedicated as it gets.”
His dedication has even begun to rub off on his son.
“He’s all football al the time. It doesn’t turn off for him,” said Cahill. “You can even see it with his son,” said Cahill. “His son is just like him. He’s out there at camp evaluating players on the field.”
Outside of fatherhood and football, Bryan has several interests, one of which is racing.
“I love auto racing. I’m passionate about it,” he said. “I just love being around the track. It’s one of my favorite things to do.”
He has also completed five marathons in his lifetime – a goal he set for himself to complete before the age of 45.
But all the hobbies and interests outside of his son and football are just that, hobbies and interests. His true love is football.
“I love football. I really do,” said Broaddus.
Balancing fatherhood and a demanding job can be a struggle, but prioritizing things and finding a balance is key for Broaddus.
“I’ve always been all about work until I had my child. Before him, I only had to think about work. [Now] my son is my No. 1 priority,” said Broaddus. “Anything that is a priority for him, that makes it a priority for me. That’ll always be my most important.”
The 5 o’clock hour comes and goes, and the people around him start to pack up and head home. By 6 p.m., the office is nearly empty, save some coaches and personnel people tucked away in their offices. All that seems to remain is the distant echo of tapping on a keyboard from the back hallways of Valley Ranch.
