Johnny Hebert ’26: Beyond the Game

There are two ways to get to know a person.

 

The first way is from a distance. Based on what we see, read, or hear about someone, we form conclusions about them, much like our culture does with celebrities. For many students at Strake Jesuit, this is how they view Johnny Hebert '26, varsity running back for the Fighting Crusaders.

 

Following a Crusader victory over Alief Taylor in October, I was helping some freshmen with equipment, and all they talked about was Johnny. Understandably so — his season has been remarkable. At the conclusion of the season, Johnny ranked first in Texas and first in the nation, with 3,532 rushing yards and 38 touchdowns, reflecting his dominance on a team that heavily relies on the run. Just Google "Johnny Hebert Highlights," and you will see him weaving, dodging, and leaping past defenders in stunning fashion. To the casual football fan, it’s phenomenal. To a freshman football player, it elicits reverence.

 

But they don’t know Johnny beyond football. They don’t know he competed on a relay team that placed third in the Area Meet or that he’s an AP student. They don’t know he won the Captain Andrew R. Houghton '97 Award for excellence, service, determination, and a love for life. For them, Johnny is simply a football star.

 

What the freshmen lack is knowledge of Johnny's character, which is the second way of knowing a person. This only comes from spending time with a person, working, laughing, and living alongside them. It’s a privilege his friends enjoy fully, his contemporaries experience in passing, and the freshmen can only dream of.

 

This summer, I got a glimpse of Johnny’s character during Jesuit’s strength program. Two things stood out: his unwavering will and complete humility. After a grueling workout, Johnny stayed behind to practice basic handoffs, performing this simple and fundamental drill — something he had done for years and could do with his eyes closed — on repeat to conclude that morning’s session. As everyone else left, Johnny was the one to gather the remaining equipment strewn about. What this day and the many days since have taught me — in my interactions with him in the cafeteria, classrooms, and competition floors of our school — is that Johnny's drive wasn't just about being the best football player he could be; rather, he was more concerned about being the best version of himself in every regard. To put it bluntly, that is something special.

 

So, am I surprised by his record-breaking season? In one sense, yes — no one could have fully predicted what he achieved on the field this year. But in another sense, no — his iron will, discipline, humility, and genuine care for others made his success almost inevitable. After the Alief Taylor game, when I asked the varsity team to help freshmen load equipment, Johnny, despite having just rushed for 300 yards, stepped up first. That’s just who he is.

Johnny may earn countless honors in his life, but none of those awards will ever fully capture his character: a young man trying to be the best he can be in every area of life, all for the greater glory of God.