Diehl ready for life's next challenge

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Jul 02 10:15:47 GMT-04:00 2013

Chad Diehl Chad Diehl
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#30 6-2, 260
Lyman, SC
View Full Profile made a reputation as one of Clemson’s strongest and most physical football players during a four-year career that ended after the 2011 season, and now he hopes to pass those traits on to high school players.

The Byrnes High School graduate is headed back to the Spartanburg area to continue his football career after he was recently named as the strength and conditioning coach at Boiling Springs High School.

Diehl told TigerNet that the job wasn’t one he was seeking, but came about after his wife Candace went to work for the school district.

“She got hired to teach first grade at the elementary school, and each week they have a board meeting and read off the names of the new hires in the district,” Diehl said. “One of the board members heard her last name and said, “Hey, we don’t have a strength coach at the high school. What is her husband doing now?’ So they got in touch with me and I sent in my resume, got an interview and got hired.”

Diehl signed a free agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens following his senior season at Clemson, but concussion symptoms forced him to retire from playing. Once he learned he wouldn’t be playing anymore, and with a wife and daughter to support, he found work outside of football.

“I knew when I got hurt in Baltimore that I had to make a quick decision on a job because of my wife and daughter,” he said. “She was living with her parents, ready to move to Baltimore. But once I got hurt, I had to commit to whatever job was available and I didn’t have time to explore what was out there.”

Staying in the game he loves, however, was always on his mind.

“At times, I have felt like it was my calling to be a coach,” he said. “Coaching had crossed my mind multiple times, and now I have that chance. I am excited about it, and I think it will be a good career for me.”

Diehl began his job this past Monday, but had already taken one visit to his new school to get better acquainted with everything.

“I went over there one day last week, and just kind of watched the strength coach that is there now,” he said. “I haven’t really had a chance to meet all of the guys yet. But I am going to be training all of the athletes, not just the football players. I will have a lot of kids to train.”

Diehl said he hopes that part of his duties allow him to return to the sidelines, and that this job is just the first step in a long coaching career.

“Even though I will be training in all sports, I am sure I will have sideline duties,” he said. “And I definitely think this is a door that God has opened for me, and from here on out the sky is the limit. We will see how it goes. I am going to work as hard at this as I did when I played, and see how many kids I can influence and see how I can help better Boiling Springs.”