Football Jim Sumner, GoDuke the Magazine
Rakavius Chambers has played his last football game.
And he's okay with that.
Actually, he's more than okay with that. As much as Chambers enjoyed playing the game, football was never the end but rather a means to an end.
Chambers is 6-foot-4, 335 pounds and played offensive guard at Duke. He keyed Duke's offensive line last season. He would have been welcomed back for his fifth year, that extra season of eligibility granted because of covid-19. Or he could have gone the NFL route. Or even transferred to another school.
But Chambers — his friends call him "Rak" (pronounced "Rock") — has his eyes set on a medical career, not just any medical career but a career as a cardiothoracic surgeon.
This has been the goal since he was in the seventh grade, when he "was lucky enough to come to Duke and visit the medical school and see an open-heart surgery. I knew that was what I wanted to do."
Further solidifying this goal was the fact that his grandfather Hermie Chambers had chronic heart issues and was "in and out of the hospital, different things done to his heart. I felt like I could be the one to solve those issues."
Chambers started playing football when he was five and became one of the nation's top linemen by the time he was a senior at Opelika High School in Alabama.
But he was always an outstanding student, especially in life sciences. As a senior he was named winner of the Franklin D. Watkins Memorial Award, presented by the National Alliance of African American Athletes to the nation's top African American high-school scholar-athlete.
Chambers credits his other grandfather, Potcher Cooper, with instilling a love for learning.
"My grandad was only able to achieve a seventh-grade education, so he had to go work in a mill for his family. He was forced to do that. Growing up, he always instilled in every member of my family that education was the way to succeed. If you want to get further in life, if you want to live a good life, if you want to make the world a better place, the only way to do it was to work hard and attain a higher education."
His father Roderick was a linebacker at Auburn and made sure his son knew of that school's attractions.
But he also stood aside as his son made a different choice.
"There really wasn't a competition," Rakavius says. "I knew from seventh grade that Duke was the place I wanted to be. Once they offered me a scholarship, it was a no-brainer for me."
David Cutcliffe didn't take much convincing.
"Immediately in the recruiting process, it was evident that Rakavius embraced the challenges of being an exceptional student-athlete. And obviously that is one of the factors that made Duke University a great fit for both him and our program."
Chambers decided on a biology major — a demanding major, with lots of work. A difficult major for anyone but especially daunting for someone playing football in a Power 5 conference.
One that required advanced time-management skills.
"It was something I had at a young age because my mom [Catina Cooper] instilled time management at a young age. In middle school I was one of the biggest procrastinators. I was taught by my mom. She pushed me."
Some major-college programs might have tried to nudge Chambers into a less-demanding major.
Not Duke.
"One of the things that I love about Duke is that they work with their athletes to make sure that they are successful. The academic staff, first Heather Ryan, then Jeremiah Walker are legends, really. They ensure that you have the best tutors, they make sure your class schedules and lab schedules, and everything involved in the classroom will not interfere with football. They allow athletes to be successful."
Most offensive linemen redshirt their true freshman seasons, the better to bulk up in the weight room and learn the intricate ballet utilized by the best offensive line groups. Chambers became the second Duke freshman in the Cutcliffe era — Julian Santos was the first — to play offensive line as a true freshman.
Cutcliffe explains how that happened.
"The closer you are to the football, the more difficult it is to play as a young player at this level, and that is why it is somewhat rare to see linemen on either side of the ball play early in their careers. But we've always maintained that if a freshman is good enough to play, he's going to play. Rak proved early in camp that he was ready, both physically and mentally, and he took advantage of the opportunity to play right away."
Chambers never suffered a serious injury and never dropped out of the rotation. He played 49 games and 2,832 snaps in his four seasons at Duke and helped the Blue Devils compile 563 total yards in a 56-27 win over Temple in the 2018 Independence Bowl.
Obviously, Chambers was disappointed with Duke's 2-9 mark in 2020. But he never wavered in his decision to move on to the next chapter in his life.
"For me it was the right choice to stop playing and pursue my medical career. I just looked at where I was and I knew that the medical field was calling me. I worked really hard to be successful on the football field and in the classroom and I was ready to go and pursue my dreams. Duke put me in position to do that. It was just time."
He does have fond memories of the last play of his career, when he helped walk-on quarterback Daniel Karlin score on a keeper in the final seconds of a 56-35 loss to Florida State.
"It snuck in on the very last snap when Daniel Karlin scored. That was the last play of my football career. I'm going to miss being out there with my teammates and all that but I'm proud of the career that I've had."
That career includes numerous academic accomplishments. Chambers was academic All-ACC in 2018, 2019 and 2020. The ACC awarded Chambers a Weaver-James-Corrigan-Postgraduate Scholarship, while the American Football Coaches Association named him to their Good Works Team, which recognizes off-field work. The National Football Foundation recognized Chambers as a Hampshire Honor Society member, for maintaining a cumulative 3.2 GPA grade-point average.
While majoring in biology. At Duke. While playing ACC football.
In addition to all this, Chambers spent as much time as the pandemic allowed shadowing Duke cardiologist Schuyler Jones. Chambers says he'll take a gap year, working as a clinical research director with Dr. Jones, while getting clinical hours. He expects to take the Medical College Admissions Test this June.
"When you're playing football, it's difficult to study for the MCAT," he says. "So, I'm taking time. That way I can get the best score possible."
"Rakavius has been an incredible representative of our program in every facet," Cutcliffe sums up. "Athletically, academically, socially — he has excelled. And that is a tribute to his family and community back home for preparing him for this challenge. Rak has been a major contributor on the field and was playing the best football of his career as a senior. And off the field he set an example for his teammates; an example of commitment and dedication to everything it means to be a part of this program."
Down the road?
Doc Rak," Chambers says. "Doc Rak."
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