WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Lifelong lessons learned on the gridiron take Kale Gober far
A jack of all trades but a master of none? Well, that didn’t describe the high school athletic career of El Dorado native Kale Gober, who, literally, had one job. But Gober performed that task so well, it’s still paying dividends years later.
Gober served as the football deep snapper for the Wildcats before graduating in 2004. He went to Henderson State University, where he was the long snapper for three years, earning All-Conference honors. He didn’t play his last year, opting to begin graduate school.
Gober is currently Vice President for Advancement at Grand Canyon University in Arizona.
“I am in charge of raising private dollars for GCU,” Gober said. “This focuses primarily on scholarship support from alumni, corporations and charitable foundations. Alumni Relations, Sponsorship and Broadcast, and University Relations are also in the Advancement umbrella as well.”
After graduating from Henderson State, Gober went to UCA for two years as a graduate assistant. He returned to Hender
“The relationships that I formed at El Dorado and Henderson State are ones that I still hold true today.”
son, serving as Athletic Director for three years. From there, he moved to the University of Arkansas, where he served as Assistant AD for Development for three years. Gober then went to UCA to serve as Vice President for Advancement for four years. Gober and his family moved to Phoenix in May.
Gober earned a Master of Instructional Technology and a Doctorate of Education. It all started from learning how to hike a football between his legs.
“I tried to play a lot of sports in high school but wasn’t gifted enough to excel,” said Gober, who listed two primary reasons for becoming a deep snapper.
“One: my brother, Kirk, was a long snapper at El Dorado as well. So that probably had a lot to do with it. Two is that I am a pretty self-aware person, and I realized early on that I wasn’t gifted athletically. I loved team sports though, and my dad was always an advocate of being part of a team, so I knew that I had to learn how to long snap in order to have a spot for myself,” he said. “My initial thoughts to it were that if I want to be a part of a team, enjoy the locker room setting, and hang out with my friends, I weigh more than I can bench press, so I better figure out how to throw a ball between my legs.”
Although his career drifted away from the gridiron, Gober said playing football became the foundation of his career.
“Team sports changed my life, man. The relationships that I formed at El Dorado and Henderson State are ones that I still hold true today,” he said. “I’m so blessed to have been exposed to diverse environments in my childhood. It molded who I am today in every way possible. Most recently, with all of the racial tensions that have been going on in our country, I have reached out to many of my high school friends who are African American; some of them I keep in constant contact with, and others I don’t talk to as much. But I was able to have open, honest conversations - with John Johnson and Rudy McDaniel to name a few – about their experiences growing up just in the past week. Sports brought us together, and those relationships are still strong today. And when we talk, you know what we talk about? El Dorado football. We loved it, man. We had no idea that it was teaching us lessons that would last a lifetime. My two best friends on earth were teammates, John Thomas Shepherd and Cody Smith, and now we’re scattered across the country. Cody has a doctorate and Shep is obviously successful in El Dorado. Those relationships were formed and strengthened through Wildcat football. I cheered all of those guys on a lot down by the kicking net.”
Academically, Gober said he was always an education major. His career goal, however, did take a twist.
“Truth be told, I wanted to coach and teach in high school,” he said. “That’s why I went that route. As far as career path, I have learned – probably in the past three years really – that my plan was always a stretch, but God’s plan ended up being better than what I anticipated. No move that I have made career-wise has been conventional. You work hard, you love people, and opportunities come your way. It’s that simple. I’m confident that I am in the right place and headed in the right direction because my wife and I prayed so much about every move, and we always found a peace with each one.”
Gober has made a few moves and worn several hats early on in his professional career. Not worried about the next step, he’s focused on the task at hand at Grand Canyon University.
“My career goal? Who knows?,” he said. “Like I said, I work hard and love people and just take what the defense gives me. I have a son, Knox (5), who is already a better athlete than I ever was, a daughter Vera Kate (2), and a third and final child coming this fall, another baby girl. Kaitlen and I are fighting about the name right now.”