Brotherly Love: Always Someone There
September 12, 2005 | Football
Sept. 12, 2005
Brotherly Love: Always Someone There
By Molly O'Mara, Texas Tech Media Relations
There is a town 100 miles north of Lubbock that is more excited about the upcoming football season then it ever has been before. It may be because of the hype that was generated by the Holiday Bowl victory over Cal or it's because two of their own are suiting up in the red and black for the last time.
Cody and Slade Hodges were standouts at Hereford High School before moving to Lubbock to start their Red Raider careers. They both attribute their success, on and off the field, to the relationship sports has given them.
"Growing up, we never had to go down the street to find someone to play with," said Cody.
"There was that natural bond early because there was always someone there."
"In high school we were so lucky to have such successful careers," added Slade, the older of the fraternal twins. "We made it to play-offs three straight years and played for the championship our junior year. Our hometown has been so supportive of Cody and I ever since we came to Texas Tech. Everybody, the town, our family, is ready for the season to start. Excitement is in the atmosphere and it's going to be awesome."
It's been a long time in the making for these two to get their chance on the field.
Cody, a fifth-year senior, has appeared in seven games and has thrown for two touchdowns. Upon his arrival at Tech, he had a laundry list of eligible quarterbacks in front of him, including Kliff Kingsbury, B.J. Symons and Sonny Cumbie.
"I am so excited for Cody," professed Slade. "He has worked so hard to get where he is today. Coming in with Kliff, B.J. and Sonny in front of him, he had to work hard because those guys are great quarterbacks and he has learned so much from them. Their friendship is going to help him through the season."
Fifth-year quarterbacks and Tech football seemed to go hand in hand and when redshirt freshman Graham Harrell challenged Cody for the job, all eyes were on the pair.
Another decision was made in regards to Hereford's finest. Slade, also a fifth-year senior, was awarded a scholarship.
"Coming out of high school, Slade didn't get recruited by a lot of people," explained Cody. "He got offers to North Texas and Abilene Christian and I was afraid he was going to go to Abilene Christian. Coach (Mike) Leach came to our house, not to meet with me, but to meet with Slade and asked him to come as a preferred walk-on. Being brothers, we had lived together for 18 years and the thought of him going somewhere else was awful. When I found out that my number one receiver, the person who had caught every pass in the front yard, the back yard or on the street was going to be with me, I was so excited."
The duo that had played two sports for four years at Hereford High School was not going to be slip up yet.
"He came in as a walk-on and it's hard to be walk-on. It's hard for anyone to play college football but especially as a walk-on because you have to earn everything you get," said Cody. "Slade has stuck with it when most guys would have quit. There have been guys who have had more talent then Slade but lacked the heart that he has and they aren't here anymore. Slade is the guy who is going to catch everything, he's going to get hit and then get up and he's not going to miss a practice. Now that they have put him on scholarship, I am so happy for him. I was happier when he told me he got put on scholarship then when Coach Leach told me I was starting. He has never given up and when I have been down he's been the one pushing me."
Brothers, fans and lifelong throwing partners, Cody and Slade have a bond that words can't describe.
"Being twins we have played we each other for so long that we know where each other is going," explained Slade. "A lot of it is non-verbal. With just a look he knows where I'm going to go or I can tell what he's thinking."
The bond that formed so long ago in the backyard has followed the brothers all the way to Lubbock.
"I think playing together has strengthened our relationship as brothers because we can relate on and off the field. It's not just strictly football with us. When we go home we can hang out, watch TV or play golf," Slade noted.
With Cody throwing and Slade catching, competition between the two of them is never about one beating the other, except for when it comes to the links.
"Growing up, we'd play one on one football in the front yard or play one on one basketball and in high school we both played football and basketball so there was never direct competition we each other," explained Cody. "We would push each other to be better. If he had a good game at basketball that would motivate me to perform better. There has always been that natural competitive nature in the two of us."
"The one-on-one competition comes now on the golf course," added Slade. "Every time we are out there playing, I'm not going to let him beat me and he's not going to let me beat him."
Like any athlete, Cody and Slade have team goals and personal goals but they also understand the realities of collegiate competition.
"I think from the team stand point we have a chance to be really good because we have so much talent on offense and on defense," said Cody. "For us, we are looking for that Hodges to Hodges connection again and to get that collegiate touchdown. In high school, Slade caught so many of my touchdown passes so if we can carry that on to one season here at Tech, it will make it all worthwhile."
Slade, who has appeared in nine games and has caught two passes, is ready for his chance and the opportunity to help the team and his throwing partner.
"This team is full of athletes and the talent at receiver is so deep," explained Slade. "I feel like we have the team this year to do something we haven't done in awhile. I want the best for Cody; I want him to be successful. When I get my shot, I want to go out there and make plays for him."
Cody and Slade are not only working hard for themselves and their teammates but for a community who has been behind them since before playing at Texas Tech was ever in their thoughts.
"Neither one of us has played a lot since we've been here and now Cody is starting and I'm going to get a chance to play, it just proves that hard work has paid off for us," said Slade. "We are both so excited and we can't wait for it to get going. I'm so proud of him and every day we are on the practice field I try to push him to be a little bit better. Being his brother, that is part of my job."
"It gives all those people who have supported us over the years a chance to get excited about football again," added Cody. "When Coach Leach made the decision that I would start, I had so many phone calls from people saying how proud they were of Slade and I. When you come from a small town with one high school, the whole town gets behind the football team and we are so lucky to have the people who supported us in high school still supporting us while we have been at Tech."
Support has always been a priority for the Hodges brothers. They are lucky to have each other for a support system and nothing will ever come between that.
"Neither one of us has played a lot since we've been here. So when we have a bad day or are down about football, when we go home it's nothing about football," said Cody.
Whether it's football season or tee time, Cody and Slade Hodges have a bond and a relationship that few people can understand. The praises they exhume about each other speak volumes about their 22 years together. Both are content with their place as a part of the Red Raider football team and where they sit with each other. Cody put it the simplest way...
"He's been my number one fan and I have been his."
