Brandon Aubrey, the Dallas Cowboys kicker who is living the dream from his hometown, reflecting on his unexpected path remarked, “These are my wildest dreams and they’ve come true“. He has an origin story worthy of a Hollywood movie. Behind every NFL kicker is a story, but behind Brandon Aubrey is a dynamic duo who wrote the playbook. Come meet the Aubreys, two Texas natives who turned Brandon into a legacy worthy of the NFL spotlight.

 Who is Jeffery Aubrey?

Brandon’s dad Jeffery Aubrey is the family grit and hustle MVP. Jeffery is from Texas and owns the family business in Plano, where the Aubreys emigrated after Brandon was born in St. Louis. A born leader and provider, Jeffery had instilled in his sons a culture of perseverance and discipline that they could not escape.

Jeffery has always loved the Cowboys, even as a lifelong Cowboys fan, but his love of sports wasn’t just football. Brandon was taught to love soccer at an early age, his son stretching it like Beckham well before he ever kicked for America’s Team. And when Brandon turned down the MLS and switched over to the NFL? Jeffery was there, believe it or not, clapping like nobody’s business.

Jeffery’s ability to mentor comes to the fore most clearly with Brandon and his brother Ryan, a former goalkeeper at the University of Buffalo. Ryan cites their father as the reason they are football champions, on and off the field.

Seeing Brandon go up with game-winning kicks in Cowboys color has to be the fate for Jeffery. It is the same man, after all, who got his preteen son to attempt his first 50-yard shot. “What was he, 12? 13? He took a shot at a 50 and was just short,” Jeffery proudly said.

Who is Donna Aubrey?

If Jeffery is the grit, Donna Aubrey is Team Aubrey. She’s the girl from Texas, as Texas as brisket and Friday night lights. Donna’s warmth and love formed the family unit that enabled her boys to go after their dreams with an iron fist — and sometimes with Cowboys gear on hand.

Donna was a football fan by habit, not taste. She made the Aubrey family live games not just on TV. And then when Brandon went off to college, she did something a little fancier and gave him a Dez Bryant jersey. But she didn’t end there — Brandon’s wife, Jenn (back when she was a Chiefs supporter), received a similar jersey as proof of her entry into Cowboys Nation. Say what a fight for the cause!

She’s very proud of Brandon’s story. When Donna described his youth football career, it was at once a warm and funny one: “Weight, 60 pounds, height 4’1″, uniform 5, age 5, receiver, not kicker, and he was a Cowboy—who would’ve thought, right? Who would’ve thought? At age 5.”Although Brandon started on the soccer field, Donna never gave up on her son. Between the National Championship he won at Notre Dame and his surprise success as an NFL kicker, Donna booed more than anyone. The Aubreys truly are MVPs who do wear a crown.

Jeffery and Donna Aubrey are the power couple-moms, on steroids. They have had two gifted sons, transformed game-day rituals into a lifetime ephemera, and gave a boy from their community the NFL dream. And now? Being able to see Brandon kick at the Cowboys’ game isn’t just winning for Brandon but for the Aubrey family. Because underneath each silky “Butter” kick, there is a family who made it happen.