It all started at a hometown football game pitting teams from Ashdown, Ark., and Texarkana, Texas.

The nervous fourth-grader caught the ball. He only knew to run, so that’s what he did. He ran all the way through the end zone and kept going until he reached the fence. Spectators gaped with open jaws at the 65-yard touchdown. It was the first time he ever touched the ball, but it wouldn’t be the last.  

A few years and football practices later, Robbie Buckner is now a sophomore cornerback at BYU. Underneath the helmet and pads is a small-town boy from Ashdown. Though his memories as an Ashdown High Panther grow more distant with each day, the experiences of his childhood have left a lasting impression on the gifted athlete. 

Buckner grew up on a farm in Ashdown, population 4,781, a town that he describes as being full of southern hospitality.