Behind the Facemask: Chris Ivory

CORAL GABLES, FLA.–

June 16, 2011

There are moments and decisions in every person’s life that shape who they eventually become. Every path is different, but for these student-athletes, they have all eventually led to Coral Gables. Their stories in their words…

Family is really important to me. My parents did a lot for me, especially with me walking on at first. It was a lot of money, and they put a lot of time and effort into getting me here. Even through the recruiting process, my dad helped out a lot, sending videos to schools and all that stuff. I’m appreciative of them.

Long snapping is an art that not many people can do, but you have to do it perfect.

We are all human. We all make mistakes. Everyone should get over them when they happen and move on.

You never know what can happen on any given day. You just have to go out and live life to the fullest.

Playing football has given me an experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

One of my older brother’s friends, he was like four years older than me, he was a long snapper in high school and he taught me how to do it, and I never stopped. It was probably my freshman year in high school.

I secretly wish that I could travel around the world.

The U is a university with great tradition and prestige. It’s a place I’ll always be a part of.

It was exciting at first to see guys like Bubba Franks working out alongside us, especially since Green Bay is my favorite team. The NFL guys are family, you get used to seeing them all of the time.

Legacy is a big part of this Miami tradition.

I played center in high school, but I didn’t really want to go to college to play center. I was kind of small, but I got some offers to go to D II and D III schools. I wanted to go Division I, and I had the opportunity to go for long snapping and walk on, and that’s how it happened.

When I was six years old I swallowed a quarter and had to go to the hospital and had to have it taken out. I had to go under, but they went in through my mouth to take it out.

The Golden Era is going to be a lot more advanced. It’s going to take Miami back to where it used to be. It’s a lot more organized

The transition has definitely been exciting, but it was also difficult at the same time, just getting to know all the coaches. I know most of them now and we’re pretty comfortable with them, so it’s going good.

I picked the Packers when I was little. They won the Super Bowl in 1996, and I didn’t have a team up until then, so I picked them.

I was raised on a horse farm in central Florida. I have two older brothers, and one went to play football in college. He played at Mount Union in Ohio and won a couple Division III national championships up there.

I used to ride horses when I was little, but I stopped when I was 10- years old. I was never really into it, but I still took care of the horses and all that.

It was real hard transitioning to Miami at first from life in Ocala. Right now I’m used to it, this is where I live now. I’d like to stay in Miami, but I don’t know where I’ll end up.

The hardest part of long snapping is that you can’t make a mistake. If you make one mistake, you’ll be benched.

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