Gloer earns scholarship spot at UGA

By Loran Smith
Special to The Citizen

Chad Gloer’s story is interesting enough in itself—a kid walking on a major college campus trying out for football and succeeding against considerable odds—but there is an uplifting sidebar to his story that involves his pretty mother.

Kathy Gloer is a photographer, working from the stands with her long-lens camera. Lithe and lean, she lugs her Cannon 30D long lens around the stadium wherever the Georgia Bulldogs play, trying to position herself in the stands for the best shot without obstructing the view of other spectators. When they learn she is a player’s mother, the fans politely give way to her to make sure she can better position herself to focus on the action.

Kathy has become proficient and prolific to the extent that Chad’s teammates are always monitoring her Facebook account to see what she has collected from game action each week.
It all began in high school at Fayette County when Kathy had sideline access—a fact which brought about embarrassment for Chad. Nobody wants his mother within arms length of whatever he is doing—especially a football player trying to perform on the field.

Now Chad is more comfortable with the situation and is looking forward to Kathy’s coverage of his senior year in Athens this fall. There is one edict that remains, however, and it has been in place for some time. Kathy is forbidden to flood her Facebook account with an abundance of photos of her son. She has plenty shots of Chad, but they are kept on a private CD for the family.

While this fall will not be any different from the previous Georgia seasons—Chad doing his best to make a play for the special teams and Kathy positioning herself to photograph his efforts along with those of his teammates—there is something special about the upcoming season.

Chad was awarded a scholarship last spring. This heightened the enthusiasm of everybody on Park View Street in Fayetteville. For Chad, it was the culmination of a dream to enjoy the prestige of a scholarship. He has made a name for himself by applying due diligence and more, and at 5’ 10”, 193, he is a man of modest dimensions in today’s behemoth football world. True grit might be appropriate in describing this risk management major.

“Chad has been a real warrior for us on special teams and just a great member of our overall football team and family,” said Coach Mark Richt in making the announcement of the scholarship award. “He’s earned a scholarship, and I am extremely proud for him.”

Chad’s proud father, Jon Gloer, an assistant coach at Starr’s Mill, was emotional about the decision. He had walked on at Georgia in the eighties and dreamed of the same experience, but it did not work out for him. Now he is vicariously reliving his own days on campus through Chad.

With an exemplary attitude, determination, and hard work, Chad has been an outstanding special teams player for the Bulldogs the last three seasons. He made nine tackles in 10 games this past season (2009) after a season high of 10 tackles in 13 games in 2008. Chad made the SEC Academic Honor Roll and was named the “Most Improved Special Teams Player” following the 2008 season. Dating back to spring practice in 2008, he was named the outstanding defensive walk-on player. He has played in three straight bowl games for the Bulldogs.

His Bulldog journey began in high school, when his father took him and his brother, Ryan, to Georgia games. They talked football on the way over to Athens and rehashed the games during the return trip to Fayetteville.

Jon harbored private hopes that one of his boys might someday follow in his footsteps. While he never brought up his secret desire, he was overjoyed when Chad made the decision to enroll at Georgia, and his private rejoicing began to escalate when Chad lettered for the Bulldogs the last two years. Now with the prestige of a scholarship, he is the proudest of fathers.

“When Coach Richt called and asked me to come see him, I didn’t know what he wanted to see me about, but when he told me that he was putting me on scholarship, I was overwhelmed,” Chad said. “I began thinking about all the people who had supported me and was happy for so many people who have meant so much to me during my time in Athens. First of all, I am happy for my family because it means so much to them.

“It a pleasure to play for a man like Coach Richt, and I enjoy Georgia so much. This is my last year, and I want to make a contribution to the team, and I am committed to working hard to help the team and enjoy my last year with my teammates. This is a dream come true. It is an honor to be a Georgia Bulldog.”