By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
Chris Tabor knew from a very young age that he, one day, wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and become a coach.
His father, Don, was a head football coach in St. Joseph for 40 years, ending his career at Benton, where Chris graduated from in 1989.
Fast forward 34 years, and Chris finds himself in his second season as the special teams coordinator for the NFL's Carolina Panthers.
"I would always say that I'm just a kid from St. Joe trying to do it right," Tabor told KFEQ Radio. "Really doing it right, because the people around that town helped shape me. I just want to make them proud."
Tabor played quarterback at Benedictine, graduating from there in 1993. He racked up 3,633 yards passing and another 1,177 rushing in a storied career for the Ravens.
"I wouldn't be where I'm at today without the help of not only the St. Joe community, but the Benedictine College community," Tabor remarked. "It's really shaped me into who I've become and what I believe in."
A member of the 2021 Raven Athletic Hall of Fame class, Tabor will be enshrined into the St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame on August 27.
An honor he didn't expect, but is humbled by nonetheless.
"I was surprised and thankful," Tabor said. "It's always a humbling experience to be recognized by your hometown. I joke, I said, 'Maybe they ran out of names.' But, for (the St. Joseph Sports Commission) to call me, it was just a neat experience."
Tabor started his coaching career at Benton as an assistant for his dad after graduating from Benedictine. In 1994, he made the jump to Hutchinson Community College to become running backs coach.
From there, Tabor went to Central Methodist University, where he was offensive coordinator from 1995-96. He then got a shot at the Division I level, becoming a grad assistant at Mizzou from 1997-1999.
Tabor became full-time at Mizzou in 2000, coaching running backs and special teams. However, he and all of coach Larry Smith's staff were fired after the Tigers went 3-8 in the 2000 season.
Tabor says he and one other assistant from that staff, Dave Toub, were among the last from that group to find a new job. That time in between jobs formed a strong friendship between the two.
"We were neighbors," Tabor said of Toub. "It's been a friendship that...it's a special one to me. He's such a great guy and he's been so successful in the NFL. When he had the opportunity to hire me in Chicago, I was very blessed and thankful for that opportunity."
Tabor went on to be the head coach at Culver-Stockton in 2001 before assistant stops at Utah State (2002-2005) and Western Michigan (2006-07).
Then in 2008, Tabor was reunited with Toub, who was special teams coordinator for the Chicago Bears from 2004-2012. Toub hired Tabor as a special teams assistant in 2008.
Toub now, of course, is the special teams coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs. He always thinks of Tabor when he and the team come to St. Joseph for training camp.
"I'm very proud of him," Toub said of Tabor. "What a great guy. Fun to be around. It's funny, I'm out at (training camp) practice (in St. Joseph) and the Tabor family say, 'It's Tabors! Toub! It's Tabors!' It's cool. He's a great guy. One of St. Joe's finest."
Tabor left the Bears in 2010, and became special teams coordinator in Cleveland from 2011-2017. He returned to Chicago as special teams coordinator in 2018 and stayed through 2021.
After Matt Nagy's staff got fired in Chicago, Tabor found a home in Carolina as their special teams coordinator in 2022.
Despite head coach Matt Rhule getting fired five games into last season, Tabor was retained by current head coach Frank Reich.
"It's going well," Tabor said, as the Panthers gear up for the 2023 campaign. "Hopefully, we can stay healthy and hopefully catch a few breaks along the way. Then, you set yourself up in the late part of the season to make a run and go from there."
Tabor is unable to attend the St. Joseph Sports Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony at the Stoney Creek Hotel, but he's able to come back once or twice a year to see his family - many of whom still reside in St. Joe.
"Every time I'm home and driving around, I can still drive any street and know exactly where I'm at in town," Tabor said. "That, to me, is a neat deal. I don't think you ever leave your hometown. You might be gone, but you never really leave it, you know?"
It's been a long, winding road in coaching for Chris Tabor, who's living out a dream as a special teams coordinator in the NFL.
But, the wins, losses and personal accolades aren't the most important things to Tabor.
No, Tabor just hopes that when it's all said and done, his players will remember him fondly - just like those who played for his late father, Don, remembered him.
"I was always enamored when players would come over and check on my Dad and see how the old coach was doing," Tabor recalled. "Hopefully, I'm making an impact in somebody's life, where they say, 'Boy, I wonder how ol' coach Tabor's doing,' and they check up on me.
"If that happens, to me, that's way more important than wins and losses."
Chris Tabor interview
You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.