Fulton, Mo 4/9/2025- Blue Jay Athletics is excited to welcome two new assistant coaches to the Blue Jay football staff. Calvin Powell and Dana Chambers have been brought on for the 2025 season.
Calvin Powell will enter his 1st season with the Blue Jays as Offensive Line Coach and Run Game Coordinator.
Powell brings a wide array of experiences from his 17-year coaching career, spending the past 2 years as the head football coach at D3 Maine Maritime Academy.
Before Maine, Powell served as the Assistant Head Coach and offensive line coach in his second stint at Langston University in Oklahoma. The 2022 Lions ranked fifth in the nation in rushing and 12th in the nation in points per game with Powell coaching five all-conference players. Powell had previously coached the offensive line and running backs while coordinating the recruiting efforts at Langston between May 2010 and May 2012. In his first stint with the Lions, Powell coached Langston's all-time leading rusher, three first-team all-conference offensive linemen, and two honorable mentions along the front. The Lions shared the Sooner Athletic Conference title and ranked 23rd in the nation. Before his tenure at Langston, Powell served as the Offensive Line Coach and Academic Coordinator at Lyon College. He coached six All-Sooner Athletic Conference offensive linemen, while raising the team GPA by three-tenths of a point. He also worked with three Daktronics, NAIA Scholar-Athletes in his time. Before his time at Lyon College, Powell was part of a startup program at Texas Wesleyan University for two years. He served as the Offensive and Recruiting Coordinator, while instructing quarterbacks and running backs. Coaching the conferences is the 2nd leading rusher and 3 all academic quarterbacks.
Before Texas Wesleyan, Powell worked at Temple University, where he was an offensive graduate assistant helping the Owls to a 10-4 record, their 1st 10-win regular season in school history, and an appearance in the inaugural American Conference Championship game, as well as the Marmot Boca Raton Bowl.
He has also served as the Running Backs Coach and Video Coordinator at SUNY Maritime, and as a Tight Ends and Running Backs Coach at Northeastern Oklahoma, where he also served as a Resident Director. Powell also coached at two high schools in Texas, Green Hill School and St. Michael's Catholic Academy.
Powell holds a Bachelor of Science degree in sports management from Southwestern College and a master's degree in educational leadership from Langston University.
Dana Chambers is also entering their 1st season with the Blue Jays as the Linebackers Coach. He is a 2008 graduate from Lincoln University, earning a bachelor's degree and playing football for the Blue Tigers for three years. His coaching journey began in 2010 at Kalamazoo Central High School in Michigan, where he coached linebackers, wide receivers, and running backs with the title of defensive coordinator. In 2012, Chambers returned to Missouri and was a part of the Hickman High School staff as an assistant coach working with the linebackers. By 2018, he was promoted to defensive coordinator and held that position until 2021, when he became the head football coach at Fulton High School. He has been married to his wife, Kim, for 4 years. They live in Columbia and are proud parents to six wonderful kids: Qali, Je'Lynn, Qailen, Amiyah, Dezteni, and Danae.
Head Football Coach Luke Butts said, "I am incredibly excited to welcome Coach Chambers and Coach Powell to our coaching staff. Both bring a wealth of experience and leadership that will have an immediate impact on our program. Their background as head coaches and their ability to connect with athletes on a personal and professional level will be invaluable to our team. I am excited that they both have a passion for developing student-athletes, sharing our commitment to fostering a holistic approach to both athletic and academic success. They will not only elevate our team's performance on the field but will also be crucial in shaping the overall student-athlete experience."
The Blue Jays will kick off the 2025 season on September 6th when they travel to play Manchester University, whom they defeated 23-3 this past year.
