Meet Chris Hambie, Decatur’s Big Dog

When Decatur High opens its 91^st consecutive football season at 7:30 tonight against North Springs, no one’s looking forward to it more than Decatur's No. 7 Chris Hambie, who’ll start at both middle linebacker and fullback.

Last summer Hambie transferred from South Gwinnett High, where his father formerly coached, but his 2010 season became a nightmare of bureaucratic procrastinations. It wasn’t until the eighth game against Avondale High that Hambie became eligible.

Ten months later Avondale is long gone but Chris is back with a vengeance.

“He’s leaps and bounds beyond where he was last year,” said Decatur’s legendary defensive coordinator Freddie Jones (who was the school’s head coach for a few years beginning in the mid 1980s). “He’s in incredible shape, he understands what we’re doing, and he’s gonna be something to watch. He not only hits hard, he has incredible range – he covers the whole field.”

A 6-foot, 225-pounder, Chris had a busy summer, attending six combines and/or college camps, while receiving camp invitations from the likes of Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Georgia Tech. At this point he’s still deceptively low on the college radar mostly because of his abbreviated season last year.

“Basically what [college] coaches are telling me,” Hambie said, “is they want to see [tapes] of my first three games. If everything looks good there, then they’ll come out and watch me live. That means the pressure’s on, but it isn’t anything I can’t handle.”

Hambie was born May 11, 1994, in Prattville, Ala., and his family moved to Decatur when he was 5. He attended Winnona Park, Glennwood and one year at Renfroe before following his father to Douglasville High and then South Gwinnett.

Hambie was one of two crucial transfers into the Bulldogs program last year. Marlon Joyner, a 6-3, 331-pound offensive and defensive tackle, is also a senior and, like Chris, didn’t become eligible until late in in 2010. It’s not a stretch saying that Decatur’s fortunes this fall lie squarely on the broad shoulders of these two seniors who will finally get a full season to strut their stuff.

After a recent practice we sat down with Chris and got the scoop on his various interests, goals and personal philosophy.

Vital Stats: Fastest 40 is 4.84; Fastest shuttle (which measures short bursts and lateral movement) is 4.53; vertical is 34 inches; max bench press is 315 pounds, max squat is 480, max power clean is 280.

Favorite football player: “Lawrence Taylor. I know he’s done some bad stuff off the field, but on the field he defines football. I love his whole demeanor, his use of intimidation. ... I never saw him play live. But you have to remember I do have You Tube.”

Favorite athlete other than a football player: “Michael Phelps. I don’t know much about swimming, but he’s a pure champion. I love his work ethic."

Favorite Movie: “Despicable Me.”

Favorite Musical Artist: Wacka Flocka Flame and Gucci Mane

Favorite Song: “I Ball, I Stunt” by Young Jeezy. Chris says, “I listen to this before every game. Believe me, it will get you pumped.”

Favorite TV Show: ESPN’s Sports Center.

Favorite Hobby: Reading the Sunday comics.

Grade Point Average: 3.8.

Favorite Book: “I can’t remember the last time I read one.”

Favorite Subject: “Lunch.”

Favorite subject that doesn’t involve a knife and fork: Anatomy

Potential College Major: Sports medicine.

Finish this sentence: If a career in the NFL doesn’t work out I would like to be. . . “An exotic dancer. No, I’m just kidding. Don’t put that in there. I want to be a sports trainer.”

Favorite food: Rigatoni

Favorite Midnight Snack: Peanut butter and jelly.

Favorite football team: “The Falcons, of course. Although overall I love college football the best. Those guys want it more.”

Personal philosophy: “Leadership is number one. Next is cockiness, but cockiness with confidence. I don’t like cockiness with all the bad stuff like trash talking. And finally there’s physicality, or wanting to make the play, as in, ‘Come to me, I’m ready.’ ”

Best Advice you’ve ever been given: “Hard work beats talent every time. That doesn’t come from any one person but from all the people who’ve been influential in my life, from my parents, to my coaches to my personal trainer, Micah Hayes, who I have to give major props.”

Most influential person: “No question, my dad. He’s taught me a sense of community, a sense of understanding the world as it is, and not as I want it to be. Also, he’s taught me how to hold myself off the field. When you look at most athletes, they get in trouble off the field, not on the field.”

What does the tattoo on your left arm symbolize, with the praying hands and rosary: “To stay humble.”

Person you’d most like to meet: “President Obama.”

Personal goals for this season: “Around 100 solo tackles, double digits in sacks and a whole bunch of forced turnovers.”  

Decatur Opening Night Notes: Decatur went 6-4 last year, it’s first winning season in four years. North Springs, which lost to the Dogs 25-12 last year, went 0-10 in 2010, and hasn’t won a game (not counting a 2009 forfeit victory) since Nov. 7, 2008.

This is the 91^st consecutive season, but Decatur’s 95^th overall. Decatur had abbreviated schedules in 1913, 1914 and 1915. In October 1915, a Decatur player named Davis Chambers was killed in a game against Marist, and the high school didn’t play another game until 1921.

 In 1921 Decatur began playing football on exactly the same site where it plays today. Although there have been three, maybe four separate stadiums on the spot, the most recent built in 2007, the field’s on the same location with the same east-to-west configuration.  It’s likely that very few high schools in the country have played football on the same patch of ground for as long as Decatur.

The first lighted high school football game in the state of Georgia was played on this field, Oct. 17, 1930, when Decatur beat Athens 13-0.

As best as can be figured, Decatur’s all time record coming into tonight is 462-400-30