A TRAILBLAZER
From Liberia to Austin to Houston, Mulbah Car has used the gridiron to ease the journey
— AUSTIN —
M ulbah Car stood among rows and rows of people — 545 people to be exact, coming from all corners of the globe — in a crowded auditorium. He raised his right hand and, in unison, began to recite the Oath of Allegiance during a swearing-in ceremony to become a U.S. citizen. Small American flags waved. The crowd cheered. The ceremony earlier this month on San Antonio’s west side was the latest step in a remarkable 13-year journey that has covered thousands of miles, taking Car from his war-torn West African country of Liberia to Austin to the University of Houston, where he is an incoming freshman on the football team.
“Being from another country, it means so much to be accepted as an American,” said Car, 18. “I’m so grateful just to be accepted.”
Only 5 when he left Liberia, Car only remembers what his mother, Oretha, told him.
How he ran away from his father, who had custody, and lived on the streets for a month before being reunited with his mother. How he, his mother and younger sister, Blessing, lived in tents in an immigration camp as the country was engulfed by civil war. How a United Nations refugee agency official told his mother their name had been drawn in a lottery system and a new life awaited them in Central Texas, a
moment Car says was “like winning a prize.”
“We could have gone anywhere in the world,” Car said.
Car is again on the move, preparing to begin the next chapter of his life. He started summer classes at UH last week. In August, Car will begin preseason camp with the football team, where he’ll compete for the No. 2 spot in the backfield.
The 5-11, 194-pound Car arrives with impressive credentials. He finished his high school career with 4,833 yards at Austin Reagan, which broke the career rushing record for the Austin Independent School District.
On national signing day in February, Car signed with UH, picking the Cougars over Nebraska and Iowa State.
“Just to where he’s at is already a success story, let alone what he does on the field,” UH coach Tom Herman said.
‘Program-changer’
Reagan coach Keith Carey first saw Car running the 200 meters at an eighth-grade track meet.
“The first thing I asked him was his address and his birthday,” said Carey, who learned Car lived in the Reagan attendance zone.
Car’s first love was basketball, and he’s even an accomplished wrestler, qualifying for the UIL state championships as a sophomore. But there was something about his explosiveness that made football a perfect match and Car a potential savior for a oncedominant Reagan program that won state titles in the 1960s and ’70s. But the program endured an 11-year playoff drought until Car’s breakout junior season in 2014.
He ran for 1,156 yards as a sophomore, 1,946 as a junior and 1,672 in his final year. He had 63 touchdowns in his high school career.
“He’s a program-changer,” Carey said. “That’s what I called him as an eighth grader. And he did it. There’s no reason for me to believe that the same thing isn’t going to happen (for him) at the University of Houston.”
Car became intrigued with playing in Herman’s offensive system while watching the national championship game. In the game, Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 246 yards and four touchdowns in Ohio State’s 42-20 win over Oregon. A few weeks earlier, Herman had accepted the job to become coach at UH.
“Maybe he can teach me to run like that,” Car said.
Ultimately, Car said it was a “good connection” with his recruiter, cornerback coach Jason Washington, and a chance to stay close to home that swayed his decision to commit to UH. He did some research on the school and “prayed on it” with close family friends Buddy and Linda Dryden, whom Car met a few years earlier and frequently attends church with.
“I think Houston is the place for me,” said Car, who still has a hint of his African accent.
A team player
Carey called Car “the best athlete I’ve ever been around” and said he’s a model teammate willing to do whatever is needed for the team. That even meant playing both offense and defense for most of his final two high school seasons.
In a game that Carey calls “the turning point” for the program, Reagan needed a victory over Austin Travis in 2014. A week earlier, Car had added defensive end to his duties. Car rushed for 310 yards and six touchdowns on 23 carries and “completely disrupted the offense,” Carey said, with a couple sacks and fumble recoveries in the 54-40 win that delivered the school’s first playoff berth since 2003.
“He never asked to come off the field,” Carey said. “And they couldn’t stop him.”
Only needing 44 yards to break the AISD rushing mark last October, Car got the record on a 3-yard run on the final play of the first quarter. He immediately went over and thanked his offensive line.
“We had to come over and tell him that it was a good thing (to break the record),” Carey said. “It was never about him.”
Becoming a citizen
Earlier this year, Car began the process of applying for U.S. citizenship. He had to study a list of 100 questions for the civics exam, ranging from American history to state capitals to names of government leaders. Car admits being nervous, even drawing a blank when asked the capital of Texas.
“If it had been multiple choice, I would have aced it,” he said with a laugh.
Car drove to San Antonio in early May for an interview and to take the English and civics tests.
As he left, he was told he passed.
“I walked out of there, put my hands in the air and screamed, ‘Oh Lord, thank you!’ ” Car said.
The official citizenship ceremony was held May 24 at the Edgewood Theatre of Performing Art in San Antonio.
The U.S. Marine Corps Brass Band played. They sang the national anthem. Those in attendance were asked to stand up by country.
“I was the only one from Liberia,” he said.
Then the group recited the 140-word Oath of Allegiance.
“That’s when we became a citizen,” Car said.
Washington, who recruits the Austin area for UH, surprised Car by attending the ceremony.
“Amazing experience,” Washington said. “It was a special moment I’ll never forget. I told him this is what family is about. It’s more than football. It’s being there for your accomplishments and being there every step of the way.”
There was little time for celebration. Car had to rush back to school to finish final exams. Later that night, Oretha, who speaks broken English, told her son: “Mulbah, I’m very proud of you.”
She then hugged him and began to sing in their native language.
Then she told him: “I’m right behind you” to get her citizenship.
Next chapter
Reagan held its graduation last week. Car packed his belongings the night before and had plans to leave for Houston immediately after to “hit the ground running” and be on time for last Thursday’s freshman orientation.
“I’m eager to get there and see how my life is going to turn out,” he said. “My story is about to take off.”
The first several chapters will be hard to top.