Fresno State Athletics
North Gym Equipment Manager David Chance Leaves Impressionable Mark
6/8/2005 12:00:00 AM | General
June 8, 2005
FRESNO, Calif. - Take a risk and it's a safe bet that David Chance, Fresno State's North Gym equipment guru, will make everything surrounding him better.
Getting his break at Buchanan High School in 1995, Chance didn't know a thing about being an equipment manager. Mike Hill, who was the assistant athletics director at the time, saw something in him and took a chance. While the door of opportunity swung open, it was a "hunch" that Hill had on Chance to get him involved in Bears athletics.
"I was just at the right place at the right time," said Chance, who is wrapping up his seventh year at Fresno State. "I didn't know what the job entailed but I was involved in sports in high school, playing soccer and baseball, so I knew if it was sport related that I would probably like it. Mike (Hill) came up to me and asked if I'd be interested in coming to work for the school and I said `sure.' I don't know what he saw. After spending three years at Buchanan another opportunity came knocking and this time it was Fresno State. Mike took a risk on me and then Mark (Younger) would end up doing the same."
There is a big jump in responsibility of being an equipment manager at the high school level and at a prominent Division I university. For Chance, it was his fervor for the Bulldogs that allowed him to embrace another uncharted adventure with enthusiasm.
"When I came to Fresno State, I didn't know what to expect," Chance said. "Mark took a risk and I took a risk. All Mark had to go on from Mike were the words `I would get it done' and `give him a chance.' Having lived in Clovis all my life, I am forever a Bulldog fan. I started work for Fresno State in October 1998 and it's been fun.
"Offered the job as an assistant manager for football, I worked under Mark for one and a half years at the Duncan Building," Chance continued. "I also oversaw men's and women's soccer and baseball. In 2000, I moved over to the North Gym as the equipment manager and took on the responsibility of seven sports: men's basketball, track and field, tennis, cross country, golf, wrestling and cheer. Two years later, I would oversee 12 sports as the South Gym, which distributed women's equipment needs, would consolidate under one umbrella - the North Gym."
When the words "equipment manager" is said, what immediately comes to mind? A lot of dirty clothes or maybe endless and thankless hours spent day in and day out. Maybe its infinite needs and requests or perhaps former student-athletes who hope to keep that "special" uniform or jacket. Some would equate those words to a non-athletic individual who is a mop up guy while others would equate that title to an individual who works instant miracles when things look bleak. However one deciphers that occupation, that title is taken on with great pride and dedication. That individual must be able to multi task, be creative, be personable and have an endless abound of energy to be a positive force for coaches and student-athletes alike.
"This is not a glorified job," Chance said. "I do this job to help. It makes your day when you can help the athletes. I'm not coaching, I'm not giving academic advice and I'm not planning their future. I can help, though, as long as they are Bulldogs. It really is all about helping people.
"Yes, you pick up dirty clothes, you wash them and dry them and get them back to the athletes," Chance continued. "I just get the satisfaction of knowing that I am making their stay here easier and more manageable. I am able to take the stress off of them by not worrying about their uniform or equipment. That way they have more time to prepare for class, practice and competition.
"I've played sports my whole life, I know what type of commitment there has to be in sports, no matter what your niche may be," Chance added. "Whatever is needed, I'll do my best to help the athlete. One day Amanda Wolf, who just finished her four year career in softball, came up to me and asked if I could restring a glove because hers was so loose. She showed me what was needed and where the problems were on the glove. Two days later, I nearly restrung the whole glove and she was thrilled. She must have thanked me four or five times once I handed it back to her. So, just something as small as that is what I take pride in, helping the athlete out."
Being involved in Fresno State athletics certainly has made special memories for Chance. When asked what stands out to him, it, again, came down to working with an athlete.
"Melvin Ely is probably my favorite athlete to have worked with and known," said Chance, who broke out a big smile when asked to reflect on his tedious profession. "The equipment guy is known to be the one that everybody goes to if they want something. `Can I have that; can I keep this, can I get that next time?' It is endless. Melvin is just a down to earth guy who just wanted to say hi and see how your day was going. He was great because he would just come by and talk.
"I had just gotten married his senior year and he would ask me how married life was, how my wife was doing, what are your vacation plans," Chance stated. "To be with him his last year and to see him get recognized for all the things he did and then get drafted, I was just happy for him. He's been back three or four times since graduating and has made it a point to come see me and just say hello.
"It's funny," Chance said after a long pause. "When you hear someone is in town, I'm like `okay,' they are going to come in and want this and want that. It's endless for those types of requests in which people want their old jerseys or tell me they didn't get all the shoes they should have had. Melvin was refreshing. So, when I heard he was in town, I knew he just cared as a person. He always let me know that if I wanted to come down south that he'd help me with packages for me and my family to enjoy. Sure, you hear that all the time, but Melvin really cared and he meant it. His word was true and I treasure that out of an individual."
Chance, who graduated from Clovis High School in 1988, went to Fresno City College for three years before getting his first full-time job. Not going to a four-year institution or playing college athletics, he received his Associates degree and, in the process, went on to accomplish something very unusual.
What facet of his life has he put on hold for more than five years?
"I am licensed in California real estate," Chance said humbly. "I have passed all my real estate tests and did so during junior college. It's unusual to get a real estate license without a four-year degree from a university. The test is really, really hard and I know quite a few people who haven't passed two, three or four times over."
"I'm just a few classes short of being able to take the test for my broker's license," Chance added. "Once I do that, it will be a new start, a new risk for me and my family. A friend of mine has a broker's license and we'll likely go into business together. We've slowly worked on this project and, if I was going to make a change, it would certainly be after all the Fresno State athletics teams completed competition."
Yes, that's right. Chance is trading in his equipment domain for the real estate highway on June 15, his last day at Fresno State.
"David has done a tremendous job for the athletic department," said Mark Younger, who has been Fresno State head equipment manager since January after overseeing the Duncan Equipment Room since 1992. David will be difficult to replace. His strong work ethic and diligence toward his job at Fresno State are just some of his strongest attributes. He has a very good personality and coaches, staff and athletes found him to be very easy to get along with as well as him always willing to help.
"Handling all the sports in the North Gym equipment room, he did a good job of bringing the North and South gym equipment rooms together," Younger added. "He worked hard to make the consolidation go smoothly. I know that David will succeed in his new chosen profession and the athletic department can only hope to find another employee like David to fill the void that he will leave."
"I've know David since I first arrived as a student trainer at Fresno State," said Dan Bieniek, who changed his career and has been an assistant to Chance in the North Gym equipment room since January. "He takes everything in and takes it all in stride. He's very organized and does what is needed. The best part is that he is real easy to talk to and he talks to the student-athletes.
"He's a good mentor," Bieniek said. "If he asked me to go to work with him somewhere else, I would instantly because of his personality and attitude. David is going to be a very hard person to replace. He knows a lot of people; he has a lot of ties and saved the department money with his connections. Still, it's his personality that always stood out because he really likes people."
"It was a good experience working with David," said Bobby Sharp, who had formerly worked with Chance in the North Gym equipment room. "I didn't know a thing when I arrived. He mentored and taught me. He takes everything in stride, is organized and is very, very approachable. One of the best things you could do with him was make comments, suggestions and ask questions and he would listen to everything you said.
"In any line of work, especially with the stress of the recent consolidation and reorganization of the North and South Gyms, he would know when to take a break to stop the monotony. If it was just to stop to have a casual conversation or just joke around, he kept steering the ship straight ahead and we'd get the job done. Very much respected, he established himself in this responsibility. But I think his biggest attribute was the rapport he had with the student-athletes and how they could approach him with great ease."
"And, if I could add one more thing," Bieniek stated, "It would be simply this - he's just a big kid with a lot of responsibility. He jokes around a lot and has fun but when it's time to get the job done, he got the job done, period."
Loving the challenges and people he met along the way, Chance does have one appeal before bequeathing his keys.
"I'd like to thank everybody I have worked with over the years," Chance said. "I've spent more time here in seven years than anywhere else and it was a really, really hard decision to leave. It wasn't something that was easy or made overnight. In talking with my wife, Tiffany, and looking towards the future with her and my two young girls (three-year old Macey and 18-month old Kalei), we wanted to make our life better and this opportunity (real estate) came up. We're taking a risk, together, and this new adventure will be just that, an adventure. I just don't want Fresno State to forget about me. I love a lot of people here. I was a Fresno State fan long before I came to work here seven years ago. I'm still going to go to games and will still be around. I'll never forget Fresno State and I hope it doesn't forget me."
Fresno State has seen special people leave and move on, but the Bulldogs have always looked to gain that extra advantage and take that risk to forge ahead. If you don't take that risk, you'll never have the chance and Fresno State can truly thank its biggest chance taken in a dedicated employee named David.
