Welcome Back, Derrick Chambers

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Derrick Chambers was a hotshot defensive line prospect from North Carolina when he signed with Florida in 1996. He experienced UF's first national championship as a freshman the following fall, was there for the epic defeat of No. 1 Florida State in '97, captained a Southeastern Conference championship squad in 2000, graduated with a degree in sociology in '01, spent two seasons in the NFL and took a crack at Wall Street after that.

Still in search of his calling, Chambers went to Oxford -- the university in England, not the SEC town in Mississippi — to continue his studies before returning stateside to get his master's degree.

From Princeton.

"With all the experiences I have, I consider myself a very worldly, well-rounded person," Chambers said. "But the University of Florida has always been in my heart."

Now, his heart and the rest of his big body now have a UF desk to call his own. This week, Chambers rejoined his Florida family in his new post as associate director of major gifts in Gator Boosters. He made his debut on the job during two days in Boca Grande for the annual Gator Boosters Board Meeting.

Derrick Chambers in action in 1999 against Alabama.

The way Gator Boosters executive director Phil Pharr saw it, Chambers' worldly, well-rounded background could be put to good use on the fundraising front. Pharr thinks his new guy's connection to the Steve Spurrier glory days will serve the Gators well.

"I think he brings a story to what he's doing," said Pharr, also a former UF football player, but from the '70s. "I have a story too. I can tell you about the 0-10-1 season. But Derrick can tell you about being part of our swagger in football and how he benefitted from his experiences academically and athletically and be a benefit to us and the kids in our program today. He has a good story."

Chambers, now 38, amassed 63 tackes and nine sacks in 43 games during his four seasons roaming the defensive line for the Gators. Though undrafted, Chambers accrued a couple seasons in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars before neck and back problems ended his career.

After taking six months or so to sort out his options, Chambers followed his heart back to school.

"The thought of being an educator was something I was always passionate about," he said. "I loved taking ideas and being able to communicate them."

At Oxford, one of the most prestigious institutions on the planet, Chambers took courses in philosophy and politics, then chose to complete his advance degree by getting a MBA in divinity from Princeton.

Now roll in the experience gained over the ensuing nine years at Merrill Lynch, his self-employment as a broker, some dabbling in insurance, and the Gators now have an orange-and-blue renaissance man in the North End Zone offices.

It took an impromptu chat with Pharr and an introduction to Coach Jim McElwain at a Gator Club stop this spring in Jacksonville, where Chambers had returned to settle, to put the wheels in motion for this new course in his unique professional life.

"We had the opportunity to hire someone who maybe didn't have a base in the business, but certainly could learn the business," Pharr said. "One of Derrick's comments to me was that he was looking for something where he could lay his head on the pillow at night and feel like he'd done something good."

Now he'll get that chance.

And at the place that put him on a very diverse and rewarding career path.

"The University of Florida gave me the foundation to do some of the things I did," Chambers said. "Being able to share that with people has been an absolute joy. I think the next chapter will be exciting and I'm looking forward to it."

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