Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of seven features on USF Athletics Hall of Fame inductees for 2017. The USF Athletics Hall of Fame banquet is set for Friday, Sept. 22 at the McDonald Center on the USF campus.

SIOUX FALLS – Chad Cavender wasn't necessarily looking for a landing place to play college football after finishing high school. A wide receiver and defensive back as a junior and senior in Redding, Calif., Cavender was planning on moving on from football with high school graduation.  

Through the power of suggestion and a little brotherly love, Cavender thought process changed. He kept playing football and through some circuitous means found his way to the University of Sioux Falls. There, Cavender had an impact as a standout quarterback, which has resulted into the Californian earning induction into the USF Athletics Hall of Fame next Friday, Sept. 22 at the McDonald Center on the USF campus'.

 

"The summer before my freshmen year of college, an old teammate contacted me and said, 'Dude, just come out to summer practice and if you don't like it, just don't come back out.'  I ended up going to summer practice at Shasta College," said Cavender, now with the California Highway Patrol in Monterrey, Calif. "So, I jumped right back into the game and ended up playing two seasons as QB."

It - staying in the game -- is perhaps a testament of faith of how things work out. Early in his high school career, he was a quarterback and defensive back in a single wing offense but then his parents moved to Redding, Calif. There, he was surrounded by a couple of talented quarterbacks. After losing out in a competition for the starting job, he shifted positions. But, in time and due to a little resilience and good fortune, he would encounter a shift back to his favored position at quarterback.

After trying out and earning starting quarterback job at Shasta College, Cavender ended up with the Coo when his older brother, Christopher, who had committed to another school, helped Jon Ross move to USF. USF coaches, including head coach Kalen DeBoer -- now offensive coordinator at Fresno State -  asked Ross and Christopher Cavender, if they knew any quarterbacks that they liked from California. Cavender's name immediately popped up.

With an opportunity to continue playing quarterback, Cavender joined the USF program and had one of the greatest two-year runs (27-1) by a player in school history. Cavender's tenure at the Coo was influenced by two USF Hall of Fame inductees and members of USF's first NAIA title team in 1996, DeBoer and quarterback coach Kurtiss Riggs, who later was Cavender's coach with the Sioux Falls Storm.

"Coach DeBoer and Riggs did a great job in making me feel comfortable with the plays and schemes," he said.

While the adjustment from California to South Dakota took a little transition, Cavender quickly caught on. In back-to-back seasons of 2006 and 2007, Cavender led USF to a 27-1 record, including a national title in 2006 and a runner-up finish in 2007, when he was named NAIA National Player of the Year.

"My time at USF was unbelievable," said Cavender.  "I was able to build lasting relationships with some great people.  I became roommates with three great dudes and we had a really great time growing together.  My little brother Cody Cavender even transferred out to USF for my last year, so it was awesome playing on the same team as him," he said.

Aiding in Cavender's transition was a group of teammates that established a unique connection and close bond.  In particular, Cavender pointed out that backup quarterback and roommate Bret Beachner was especially helpful.

"Bret was much more knowledgeable about the game and our offense than I was.  He was always there to support me and help me along the way.  He was a very supportive friend and teammate," Cavender noted.

As many in the USF program will attest, the USF players form a special connection. It is a brotherhood that has help to enable the program's culture of winning.

"There was absolutely a tight bond between our team.  It was most unselfish group of guys you could ever meet," he said.

With the stage set, he found a place at USF, a program rich in tradition. And, the California lad made his own impression on the program, despite little fanfare.

Named GPAC Player of the Year in 2006, Cavender helped direct the Cougars to a 14-0 record and to its second national championship. Four times, Cavender threw for over 300 yards in 2006, including a career-best 437 yards in a playoff win over #15 Jamestown College when he was 20-of-26 for 437 yards and five TDs, including a career-best 88-yard pitch and catch with Michael Warren.

In that special year, he had three or more TD passes nine times in fourteen games. He completed 246 passes on 358 attempts (68.7 percent) for 3,674 yards with 38 TDs and just six interceptions. Four times he had a TD pass of 65 yards or more including the 88-yard pitch and catch with Mike Warren. He also had 187 yards rushing and four TDs as he accounted for 42 TDs on the season.

 

In a 25-18 semifinal victory over Missouri Valley on a cold, cold Saturday at Howard Wood Field, Cavender was masterful by completing 20-of-33 passes for 272 yards and three TDs. He had TD tosses of six yards to Hovorka, 55 yards to Warren and the game-winning seven-yard TD strike to Josiah Fenceroy with 6:08 to play in the fourth quarter.

Fans will remember Cavender's brilliance and efficiency. In the 23-19 NAIA Championship victory over St. Francis, Cavender was an efficient, hitting 15-of-21 for 155 yards and a 37-yard TD to Dusty Hovorka, who would end his senior season setting numerous season and career receiving marks, including career catches with 291, yards at 4,801 and TDs with 55.

"The championship season was special because it wasn't just our team who celebrated it, it was former players, former coaches, teachers and faculty at the school, and family," noted Cavender. "It took so much more than just our team to win the championship.  I remember it being such a surreal moment in my life.  It was the first championship I had ever been a part of.  It was special to see the reaction of my teammates.  They had been working so hard toward winning that game and it finally happened," he said.

Again in 2007, Cavender was quarterback for the Cougars in a 13-1 season, which ended in a 17-9 loss to Carroll College. In 2007, he had two more 300 games (six in his career), including throwing for 373 yards against Dakota Wesleyan. He was 220-of-316 for 3,115 yards with 25 passing TDs while rushing for 167 yards and eight more TDs, which enabled him to account for 33 TDs as a senior. He had memorable moments again in 2007. In an 11-10 victory over Missouri Valley on another bitterly cold playoff game, the California native connected with J. Fenceroy for the game-winning TD strike from six yards with just 43 seconds to play. It was a memorable drive for the Cougars, which moved the ball 99 yards in 16 plays over 2:32 to earn a second straight trip to the NAIA Championship. On that drive, Cavender completed 8-of-13 passes for 80 yards and had a 14-yard run on a 4th and 12 play from the Missouri Valley 20-yard line.

"Obviously the one loss (Carroll College) stands out at USF.  Our team worked so hard and deserved that win more than anyone," said Cavender. "It was a cold mud bowl and we just didn't have enough to make it happen."

 

When everything was said and done, Cavender impact was significant. In USF's career passing charts, ranks fifth all-time at USF with 64 passing TDs and fourth all-time in passing yards with 7,089. During his two years with the Cougar Football Team, he completed 496-of-737 passes for a school-record 67.3 percent. He also ranked fifth all-time in total yards with 820 plays for 7,143 yards or 8.71 per play (second all-time). Cavender has two of the top- four passing seasons all-time at USF with 3,674 in 2006 (2nd) and 3,409 in 2007 (4th). His 38 passing TDs in 2006 ranks third for a season all-time and his 26 in 2007 ranks seventh all-time.

After leaving USF he played one year for the Sioux Falls Storm Riggs an and was a part of the 2008 championship team, then moved back to California.  Upon moving back home, he pursued opportunities with Indoor and Arena football.  He tried out with the San Jose Sabercats before the Arena One league went under. He then played with the Stockton Lightning Arena Two Team, leading them to the playoffs.   

In reflection on his career and growth as a person, Cavender knows he has been aided by a great support system. For that, he gave credit to parents (Tracy and Janie) and brothers (Christopher, Cody and Clay) and to his wife, Amy, who has been part of his life since high school.

''Amy was always such an important role in my life.  She is always honest, loyal, loving, and supportive of my decisions," said Cavender. "We made it through two and half years of long distance, but it made us stronger and taught us how to communicate," said Cavender of his wife, Amy, a 2008 graduate of San Diego State.

And for Cavender, he will also appreciate what his mentor and father, Tracy, did for him growing up. "He always knew that my brothers (Christopher, Cody and Clay) and I were talented so he was very encouraging to us to keep pushing.  He played QB himself in high school and was very good.  He even won County Player of the Year at one point. So he knew what it took to be successful."

"I have such a great family and made such an impact on all of us," said Cavender.   "My brothers and I kept pushing each other.  And, my parents were so supportive."
According to Cavender, his parents reiterated that they had the rest of our lives to work.  So, the goal was to have fun and enjoy themselves in athletics.

"That (parental) support was so important and encouraging," he said. "They sacrificed a lot for us through the years and none of us would have grown up the way we have without them."