Chavez leaves coaching staff, returns to law enforcement

~ After six years as the offensive line coach for Southeast football, he will be a deputy in South Dakota.

As much as Mike Chavez enjoyed coaching football, he also relished the several years he spent in law enforcement during the late 1990s.

When an opportunity to rejoin the latter field recently came up, Chavez took it, meaning his days in charge of the Southeast Missouri State offensive line are over.

Chavez, Southeast's offensive line coach the past six seasons, said Thursday he has resigned his post. He'll begin work in the next several days as a county deputy in the Black Hills area of South Dakota.

"It's something I've thought about off and on for a while," Chavez said. "It's always a tough decision when you switch professions in mid-stream.

"You do it with a little trepidation because you're never sure, but sometimes you have to accept the challenge and see where it takes you."

Prior to joining the Southeast staff in 2000, the 46-year-old Chavez spent the previous five years as the offensive line coach at Black Hills State in South Dakota. It was during that period that he also worked as a deputy.

"I juggled both jobs for about two, three years," Chavez said.

"I enjoyed it," he said of the law enforcement work, "... the interaction with people. No day is ever the same."

While at Southeast, Chavez helped develop two current NFL offensive linemen, Eugene Amano of the Tennessee Titans and Dan Connolly of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

"It was an honor to coach them," Chavez said. "But all the players, good or bad, you don't forget them.

"I really enjoyed my time here. You always have mixed emotions, but this is something I want to do."

Chavez would have been the lone holdover on first-year Southeast head coach Tony Samuel's staff.

Southeast assistant head coach Vincent White said the Redhawks will fill Chavez's position from outside the current staff as soon as possible.

Rhodes signs

The Southeast men's basketball coaching staff on Thursday received the signed scholarship papers from guard Marcus Rhodes.

Rhodes, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound guard, averaged about 16 points per game this past season for Harmony Community School, a prep school in Cincinnati that went 31-4.

"Marcus is a combo guard who will add depth to our back court," said Southeast coach Scott Edgar, who underwent successful hip replacement surgery on Wednesday at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. "He is a very good athlete who complements our style of play. I like his versatility and the fact he is coming from a winning program."

Rhodes will replace Eric Jones on the Southeast roster. Jones, who played in 23 games as a freshman last season, ran into academic problems and has opted to transfer to a junior college.

Jett honored

Southeast senior pole vaulter Michele Jett has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District track and field team.

Jett, the Ohio Valley Conference indoor and outdoor pole vault champion and a regional qualifier, has a 4.0 grade point average while majoring in nursing.

Being a first-team all-district selection puts Jett on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America ballot, voted on by members of the College Sports Information Directors Association.