Ex-Provo star left hometown to play football for Stanford

If anyone appeared destined to become a BYU football player, it was Kirk Chambers.

While growing up in Provo, Chambers was a big Cougar fan. When he played the sport as a youngster, he pretended to be Ty Detmer. His parents are BYU graduates and longtime BYU season-ticket holders. For heaven's sake, his mother's uncle is former BYU President Ernest L. Wilkinson . While attending Provo High School, located in the shadows of BYU, Chambers was one of the nation's top prep offensive linemen and his coach was David Mills, a member of the Cougars' 1984 national championship team.

All the while, Chambers imagined what it would be like to play college football at BYU's 65,000-seat stadium.

On Saturday, he'll finally get that chance, though he won't be dressed in BYU blue. "I've always dreamed of playing there," Chambers said this week. "I never thought I'd be wearing red."

Neither did anyone else. Still, when BYU and Stanford square off for the first time (4:30 p.m., Ch. 5), Chambers will take the field clad in a Cardinal-and-White uniform.

A 6-foot-7, 315-pound senior, Chambers is a four-year starter at left tackle for Stanford. He will face a program he knows intimately. His roots with BYU run deep.

While Chambers has been eyeing this game for years, he's trying hard to avoid distractions. "It's my hometown, so that's exciting," he said. "Other than that, it's like any other game. Our goal as a team is to be bowl-bound. It's a game we need to win."

For the Chambers clan, this is far from any other game.

Kirk's parents, Brent and Carolyn, have printed up T-shirts for the occasion to be worn by the 35 family members who will watch the contest together in the stands. "The shirts say 'Chambers,' '67' (Kirk's number) and 'Stanford'," Carolyn said.

Kirk's younger brother, Craig, is currently a BYU student, and Kirk's wife, Marilyn, is a BYU graduate. "Right now, we're into the red. We'll turn a little more blue next year," Carolyn said.

No matter what happens in the game, it promises to be an unforgettable experience for the Chambers family. "It's going to be really special," Brent said. "We'll be there for (Kirk). We hope he plays well and that it's a good day for everybody."

Brent and Carolyn have organized a pre-game tailgate party that they say will attract about 160 people, including the relatives of other Stanford players. "It will kind of be like a family reunion," Brent said.