SEATTLE – It\u2019s 5 minutes and 12 seconds into Super Bowl XLVIII, Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos. Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and the number one offense in NFL history are marching down the field to try and secure an early lead. Manning throws a quick dump pass to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas at the 45-yard line when-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BOOM<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Seahawk strong safety Kam Chancellor comes flying out of nowhere sending Thomas tumbling back seven yards. Seahawk and Bronco players alike would refer to the hit as the turning point in the game, as the Seahawks would go on to steamroll the Broncos 43-8. It is still the largest margin of victory in a Super Bowl since the inception of the salary cap, giving the Seahawks a legitimate claim to the title of \u201cmost dominant team\u201d in modern NFL history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the biggest game in Seahawk history, it wasn\u2019t their franchise quarterback, skittle-loving running back, or even heliocentric corner that stood out. It was a strong safety and his thunderous hit that set the tone and immortalized the 2013 Seahawks as Super Bowl champions. So, it\u2019s perhaps ironic that a man nicknamed \u201cThe Enforcer\u201d because of his hard-hitting playstyle is best known for his kindness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Kumasi Johnson first met the then-six-year-old Kam Chancellor, his only impression was \u201cdamn he\u2019s a quiet kid.\u201d Johnson, the owner of a small barber shop in Norfolk, Virginia, cut the hair for Chancellor, his five other siblings, and his single mother. Early on, Johnson had already noticed Chancellor was \u201cwell-mannered, humble, and respectful.\u201d When it came time to find someone to help run the barber shop, Chancellor was an easy choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt started cuz\u2019 his mom had like six kids and I just asked her if he could work at the barber shop and put some money in his pocket. His mom being a single parent, just wanted to help them out,\u201d said Johnson when asked about the hire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chancellor was the model worker, helping sweep up hair and take out the trash without a word. Chancellor just came in and got his work done. According to Johnson, even the regular customers \u201cain\u2019t even know his name\u201d because he was that much of a wallflower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While many young children may have first thought to spend the money for themselves, Chancellor always thought of his family first. As Johnson explained, \u201chim being the middle child, he had a lot of responsibilities. That was just him. He wanted to take care and look out for his family. The money I used to pay him at the barber shop, he take that money and go feed his brothers and sisters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked if he could only use one sentence to describe Chancellor to the fans, all he had to say was \u201che\u2019s just a gentle big giant around everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It would be three years later when the then 14-year-old Chancellor would meet his second mentor, Maury High School football coach and school counselor Cornel Parker. At Maury High, Chancellor quickly made a name for himself as one of the premier football players in Virginia. By his senior year, Chancellor was a five-star recruit and was rated the 27th<\/sup>-best quarterback in the nation by Rivals.com<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHis work ethic and smile stood out. He always smiled during practice, and his energy stood out,\u201d explained Parker. \u201cThat team followed him. Going into the weight rooms on the weekend and stuff. His leadership was huge for us becoming a football program and not just a football team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While his immense athletic ability and football acumen attracted the attention of Parker the coach, Chancellor\u2019s kind nature caught the eye of Parker the counselor. \u201cIs a lot of kids in the same situation as Kam, but Kam was very respectful and did the right things. Going to school and doing the schoolwork. As a school counselor, you see a lot of kids with that sports talent not do that,\u201d said Parker. Chancellor wanted to make sure he could provide for his family even if football didn\u2019t work out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite being touted as one of the top prospects in Virginia, Chancellor wouldn\u2019t get an offer from his dream school, the University of Virginia Cavaliers. Instead, it would be the Cavaliers\u2019 state rival 145 miles southwest, the Virginia Tech Hokies, that gave Chancellor his big chance at D1 football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chancellor was one of the last recruits signed on to Virginia Tech. At the time, the Hokies already had their signal caller meaning it was unlikely Chancellor would get significant playing time at quarterback. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it led Hokie head coach Frank Beamer to swap Chancellor to defense during his freshman season. \u201cCoach Beamer told [Kam] they were gonna get him on the field because of his work ethic,\u201d said Parker. \u201cOn our way back home from [Tech] I told Kam, not a lot of six-three, six-four safeties in the league, that\u2019ll kind of stand out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the next four years, Chancellor would develop his hard-hitting style at Virginia Tech, becoming a top draft prospect in the process. Chancellor, however, didn\u2019t let his success get to his head. \u201cWhen [Kam] was about to go pro after his third year, he came in and talked to me and said \u2018Coach, I have unfinished business. I need to finish my degree first to make sure I got my family covered,\u2019\u201d said Parker. It was at that moment when Parker knew Chancellor \u201chad his goals straight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n By the end of his fourth year, Chancellor had left his mark at Virginia Tech helping guide the team to three ACC Championships, three Orange Bowl appearances, and an Orange Bowl victory. During his tenure, the Hokies never ranked outside of the top 15 on the AP rankings. Since Virginia Tech football began in 1902 there has never been a four-year stretch as dominant as Chancellor\u2019s 2006-2009 run. And the cherry on top? He had a spotless 4-0 record against the Virginia Cavaliers, forever making them regret their decision to pass up on him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chancellor\u2019s success on the field got him an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl, where his play caught the eye of former Seahawks Assistant Director of Scouting, Eric Stokes. \u201cI saw him smoke a pretty good tight end named Dennis Pitta that played for the Baltimore Ravens. We saw more positional flexibility with him rather than seeing a one-dimensional player,\u201d said Stokes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chancellor\u2019s play got him on Seattle\u2019s radar, but it was his interview that made the difference. Stokes emphasized that \u201cyou just felt his maturity and natural leadership style, it wasn\u2019t any real surprise he ended up carrying the torch as one of the centerpieces for [Seattle].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now working for the Washington Commanders as Senior Director of Player Personnel, Stokes lamented that Chancellor was \u201cprobably one of the best interviews I\u2019ve had the chance to do, and one of the staples and blueprints I use when moving forward with the guys.\u201d As always, Chancellor\u2019s kind and mature personality stood out just as much, if not more than his football talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chancellor would go on to be selected by the Seahawks as pick 133 in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL draft. 119 picks earlier at pick 14, Seattle would select five-time All-Pro free safety Earl Thomas. Then, at the 2011 NFL draft lightning would strike thrice, with the Seahawks finding another five-time All-Pro in fifth-round cornerback Richard Sherman. The next year in 2012, the trio would become known as the Legion of Boom and the rest is history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the Legion of Boom era, Seattle became known as the hotspot for some of the NFL\u2019s biggest personalities from the loud-mouthed Sherman to the media-hating running back Marshawn Lynch. Given the circumstances, it would be expected that Chancellor\u2019s teammates might rub off on him a bit. For better or worse, he remained the kind gentle giant whom everyone remembers him for. And to be clear, there were times it was for the worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2016 Chancellor was looking for a new contract. With his physical play putting him at high risk for injury, it was due time for Chancellor to cash out. When Seattle refused to pay him, he declared he\u2019d hold out for the season. Chancellor infamously returned after only two games, apologizing to the team for the holdout. That\u2019s how much guilt he felt from holding out, an act that many of his own teammates had pulled in the past. In a 2016 interview with Seahawk Insider Bob Condotta, Richard Sherman stated that \u201c[Kam] didn\u2019t have to do it, but I think that apology showed how much respect he had for us and moved us all forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chancellor\u2019s fears would become reality when he suffered a groin injury in week 6, sidelining him for four games. Then, after losing to Atlanta in the Divisional Round he would undergo surgery to fix a persistent ankle injury. He would somehow make it back in time for the start of the 2017 NFL season. Unfortunately, the injuries just continued to pile up. In week 8 he would reinjure the same ankle. Then in week 10 against the Arizona Cardinals Chancellor would suffer his worst injury, a cervical neck stinger. The neck injury was the last straw, sidelining Chancellor for two full seasons and eventually forcing him into early retirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Deep down, I think everyone knew it wasn\u2019t a question of if Chancellor was going to get injured. Everyone knew his physical playstyle was going to shorten his career. We just expected that he would go out in a blaze of glory, delivering one final big hit before suffering an injury that would sideline him for good. But if you watched the Cardinals game, there was no big hit that injured him. No human train wreck that you can point to and say, \u201cthat\u2019s where he hurt himself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, on Nov. 9, 2017, a seemingly healthy Chancellor walked off the field for the last time. There would be no video tribute, no fanfare, and no final send-off. There wouldn\u2019t even be fans cheering for a 22-16 Seahawks victory over the Cardinals, as it was an away game. He gave everything he had to his teammates and the game. And in return, Chancellor, who hadn\u2019t even turned 30, saw his career end unceremoniously in the desert town known as Glendale, Arizona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While most would be bitter at how their careers ended, in true Kam Chancellor fashion he remains grateful. Coach Parker recalls a conversation they had in 2016 after his injury, which I think best sums up Chancellor as a person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe were riding in the car after the game, no one could see inside, we were just looking at all the jerseys. Thirty-one. Thirty-one. Kam Chancellor. We looked at each other, and he just said, \u2018Coach sometimes it\u2019s hard to believe. It\u2019s been a great ride Coach, it\u2019s been a great ride.\u2019 [Kam] was grateful until the end, that\u2019s just the kind of guy he is.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SEATTLE – It\u2019s 5 minutes and 12 seconds into Super Bowl XLVIII, Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos. Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and the number one offense in NFL history are marching down the field to try and secure an early lead. Manning throws a quick dump pass to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas at the 45-yard […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"WB4WB4WP_MODE":"","WB4WP_PAGE_SCRIPTS":"","WB4WP_PAGE_STYLES":"","WB4WP_PAGE_FONTS":"","WB4WP_PAGE_HEADER":"","WB4WP_PAGE_FOOTER":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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