For Rumph II, Football is all in the Family

By Daniela Schneider, GoDuke.com

Children nearly always grow up admiring something, or someone. Some are lucky enough to have that someone or something be present in their everyday lives. And some are even luckier to have that person be their father. These children consider their father a hero, a role model and all they wish to be when they grow up.

Amongst these kids was Chris Rumph II, a little boy whose father, Chris Rumph, brought him into the game of football, and changed his life.

The elder Rumph has lived the game of football. From player to coach to father, Rumph has embodied every aspect of the sport, whether that be on the field, on the sidelines or in the stands. As a four-year letterman at the University of South Carolina, Rumph helped the Gamecocks to the program's first bowl victory, the 1995 Carquest Bowl.

After totaling 141 tackles as a linebacker for South Carolina, Rumph turned to coaching, where he has more than 15 years of experience as a defensive assistant at the FBS level. Rumph has coached at a number programs, including Texas, Florida, Clemson, Memphis and Alabama, where he was a part of consecutive BCS National Championships during his tenure as defensive line coach from 2011-13. He is currently the Co-Defensive Coordinator/Outside Linebackers coach at the University of Tennessee.

Throughout his coaching career, Rumph has helped produce 18 NFL Draft selections. And while his players look up to him on the field, Rumph has two sons of his own who admire him at home.

Chris Rumph II, a redshirt freshman for the Blue Devils, only began playing serious football during the spring of his sophomore year in high school, when his family moved to Gainesville, Fla. Until that point, he had played mostly basketball and baseball, but football had always been part of his everyday life because of his father.

“I didn't start playing football really until my sophomore spring,” Rumph II said. “So when they asked me what position I wanted to play, naturally I said I wanted to be a defensive end. I wanted to be like my dad.”

But his natural instinct for the sport came from years of living it. Every time his dad got a new job with a new school, the whole Rumph family moved to a new college town. Rumph II got to experience a little bit of what college football was before he even began considering a college career of his own. He got to know the players and the process, and pick up a few skills here and there.

“At Clemson, every Wednesday all the coaches' kids would come to practice and be with the players,” Rumph II said. “I think that's where I got my punt catching abilities. When I was a little kid, I used to just be in the practice field catching punts and hanging out with the kickers. I picked up a couple of things from them.”

His punt catching ability is only a small piece of what makes his game so versatile. Rumph II has made a significant impact for Duke this season with his natural athleticism that allows him to have this versatility. While he usually plays more from the standard defensive end position, Rumph II's understanding of the game has allowed him to play a little linebacker as well.

“He really has a knack for it,” redshirt junior linebacker and team captain Joe Giles-Harris said. “He's one of those guys who's an in-betweener. He can play both linebacker and defensive end. He's got a great body type and a great skill set, which allow him to play both positions.”

Having a dad as a football coach has shown Rumph II the work and time it takes to be great. It has also given him someone who can give him both fatherly and football advice. Whether his dad is fussing at his from the stands or calling him after the game, Rumph II knows he has this extra advantage, and appreciates his dad for it all.

Rumph II's mom, Kila, has also been a major influence in his career, not just in the stands but also in his decision to come to Duke. At the end of the day, it was life after football and the importance of education she emphasized to her son.

“If you ever came to my high school games, you'd know who my mom was,” Rumph II said. “It's nice to have two parents like that who are able to influence me.”

College football has become even more a part of the Rumph family now. Although it is increasingly hard for Rumph II's dad to attend his games with both of them in season at the same time, whenever the family can make the trip, they do. And even when he is not at the game, there is always the postgame phone call.

In Duke's victory over Georgia Tech, Rumph II started at linebacker and had a career high of seven tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack and one fumble recovery. Following the performance, he was named the ACC Rookie of the Week. The breakout game came on the same Saturday his dad's Tennessee team beat Auburn.

“It was a lot of love that day,” said Rumph II. “We were a happy family.”

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