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SPANISH FORK — Kirk Chambers was a star athlete at Provo High School. His talents earned him a football scholarship to Stanford but it was still a shock for him to achieve his NFL dream.
"It was a dream come true," he says about playing in the NFL. "Playing high school football at Provo High I only thought it was going to be a dream but then once I started playing college ball and got a chance to play early and all four years it became reality."
He started 45 games at offensive tackle for Stanford and caught the attention of NFL scouts. He was drafted in the 6th round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. He played in the NFL for 7 years with Cleveland, Buffalo, Cincinnati and Atlanta. He played in 70 games and started 14 during his career protecting quarterbacks from the best pass rushers in the game.
"It was a pretty cool experience," he says. "There are only a select few to come out of Utah to do it, especially as long as I did."
Chambers decided to retire after the 2011 season and his thoughts then turned to life after football. While business school was an option his mind kept coming back to the two things he loved, football and teaching. He decided coaching would be the next chapter in his life.
"Both my parents are teachers so they're probably partially to blame," he jokes. "It's kind of the family business so it just felt like that was my life path and I just went for it."
Chambers turned to his old friend Matt Christensen who had just stepped down as Spanish Fork head coach to take a position as assistant principal at the school.
Chambers told him he wanted to get into coaching and Christensen told him that Spanish Fork was looking for a head coach. It didn't take long before Chambers was the new head coach of the Dons.
"The program was in great shape," he says. "The principal is awesome. The administration gives me tons of support, great coaching staff. I'm walking into a great situation so where else would be better."
Christensen had been the head coach at Spanish Fork for 6 years. The players had to adjust to a new coach and a new way of doing things but it didn't take long for that adjustment to take place.
"It was a little intimidating to tell you the truth," says linebacker Gunnar Beus. "It was my senior year and it was a little weird hearing we were getting a new coach but I think it worked out really good."
Chambers is applying his NFL experience to a program that already enjoyed success but fell short of winning championships.
"A lot more dedication," Beus says. "We've worked a lot harder than last year. We do a lot more drills and film work. It's just different."
"He's got a lot of experience with the game," says wide receiver and defensive back Colton Olsen. "I think he has a lot of different inputs too. He's been around a lot of different programs so I think that helps us a lot."
The transition from the NFL to high school football has a been a success for Chambers. The Dons enter the 3A Playoffs with a 9-1 record, their only loss to Logan.
They won the Region 12 title, their first outright region title since 1969. While the speed of the game and the officiating is different he says it's still football.
"You still get that rush on a Friday night," he says.
"You ask any pro and the most fun they've had playing football, a lot of them will say it was Friday nights playing in high school. Kids are playing this for the love of the game."
