Provo honors former NFL lineman Kirk Chambers with jersey retirement

PROVO — Football took former Provo High standout Kirk Chambers to some of the highest levels, to a Stanford education, to the sixth round of the NFL draft, and to a dozen years in the NFL.

But he also hoped — maybe even planned, though that might be a stronger word than he'd prefer — to return to his home in west Provo.

The former Bulldogs lineman and head coach who started 14 of his 70 appearances in the NFL was honored Friday night when Provo retired his No. 66 jersey ahead of the Bulldogs' game against Crimson Cliffs.

Before the game, Chambers shook hands with the home players before they joined him on the field in a pregame ceremony, alongside new coach Viliami Halasima.

He hasn't gone far from the program; he still teaches financial literacy at the school where he also worked as co-athletic director since returning home following three seasons at Spanish Fork.

But he's also in a master's program at nearby Utah Valley University to become a certified financial planner.

Shortly after Chambers received the honor on the field surrounded by his wife Marilyn and the couple's six children, the 6-foot-7 former offensive lineman caught his emotions as he thought about where the game has taken him.

"There are many former Bulldogs who are deserving of this, and I recognize night. But I feel very privileged to be a part of Provo High's community, as a west Provo kid.

"My dad taught at Provo High for 35 years, and I was one of these little ragamuffins running around on the field on gamedays," said Chambers, who stepped down as head coach last year after leading his alma mater to a combined 43-25 record and three-straight region titles in six seasons. "I bleed green, for good or for bad, and it's nice to have a home. It's wonderful to be recognized by your friends and peers, by people you live with and people you grow up with."

Chambers became a local legend at Provo High, a 1997 graduate who played both ways on football, played on two state championship basketball teams, and also participated in student government, track and field, and chamber choir before signing with Stanford over a number of schools that included his hometown BYU.

He served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Berlin, Germany after high school, and returned to start 45 games for the Cardinal — including a run of 34 consecutive starts that established him as one of the top linemen in college football.

The Cleveland Browns selected him with the No. 176 overall pick of the 2004 NFL draft, and Chambers went on to play two seasons in Cleveland, three in Buffalo, and a year in Cincinnati before winding down his pro career with stops on the practice squads in Detroit and Atlanta. Then it was back to Utah to fulfill another desire.

"My goal was always to give back, and I didn't really have a number in mind," Chambers said. "But I thought it would be fun to give back as many years as I took from higher-level football; we surpassed that years ago.

"It's always the boys and my fellow coaches who brought me back year after year," he added. "But there are times and seasons for everything, and it's great to move on to what's next, and to spend more time with my sweetheart."

Chambers spent three years as the head coach at Spanish Fork, helping the Dons to a 23-14 record including a 12-2 mark in 2012.

When he returned to his hometown in 2020, the Bulldogs were coming off a 9-3 season and a 5A quarterfinal appearance that included the school's first region title since 2005 with former head coach Tony McGeary.

He hasn't gone far since, continuing to teach and work on the school's campus on the west-side of Provo that is different than the one on University Avenue where he graduated nearly 30 years ago. But his focus remains on his wife, his children, and that finishing that master's program he mentioned.

He also isn't discounting a return to coaching — eventually, in some form.

"I really don't have a plan other than to get my master's and go from there," he said. "But I have a son who is in fifth grade. If he twists my arms, I'll probably come back and coach with him.

"I've coached everyone else's kids. It's about time I coached my own — and I would look forward to that."

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