As he prepares to turn 40 next week, Chris Goffer is ready to run his own football program.
On Tuesday, the chance arrived as Goffer accepted an offer to become Kenwood’s head coach.
He succeeds Sinque Turner, who turned the Broncos into one of the Public League’s elite programs before leaving last month to take over at Simeon.
“Sinque, he started some tradition there,” Goffer said. “I see myself as someone who can add to that tradition.”
Goffer comes to Kenwood from De La Salle, where he was offensive coordinator and also head boys track coach.
A Mount Carmel grad, he went on to play at Youngstown State. Goffer had signed a contract to play in the Canadian Football League when he joined the Chicago Slaughter arena league team to stay in shape.
He never got to Canada, though, because a serious leg injury ended his playing career.
His coaching career started soon after on coach Randall Townsel’s staff at Hales Franciscan.
“He took me under his wing and forced me to start giving back to young people,” Goffer said.
When Hales closed, Goffer moved on to Thornridge. He returned to his alma mater when Jordan Lynch took over as head coach and was a defensive assistant for the Caravan’s 2019 state champs.
His next stop was De La Salle, where he reunited with former Caravan teammate Marty Quinn, the Meteors head coach.
Now Goffer is a head coach himself at Kenwood. which was 44-22 in seven seasons under Turner with two Public League titles and a trip to the Class 6A quarterfinals in 2022.
Goffer also is expected to have a staff position at Kenwood. He said the support of the school’s administration, led by principal Karen Calloway, made the job an attractive one.
Athletic director Matt Fidati said the school had “some really quality candidates,” but what stood out about Goffer was his “energy and motivation. He really sold us on how excited he is to have his own program.”
