Chris Tabor to Enter Raven Athletic Hall of Fame

Chris Tabor, special teams coordinator for the Chicago BearsChris Tabor, a native of St. Joseph, Mo., and the son of Mary Jane and the late Don Tabor, will be honored by Benedictine College with his induction into the Raven Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021. Tabor, who is currently the Special Teams Coordinator for the NFL’s Chicago Bears, will be recognized at halftime of the Benedictine football game that afternoon and with a banquet and ceremony that night. The public is welcome to attend both events. Tickets for the game are available at ravenathletics.com/tickets and registrations for the Hall of Fame Banquet can be made here.

Tabor graduated from Benton High School in St. Joseph and played football his four years at Benedictine College, where he was a successful college quarterback. During his career, he racked up 3,633 yards passing and 1,177 rushing. He still holds the college’s record for the longest rushing play (96 yards) by a quarterback, which came against Minnesota Morris University in 1991. 

He led the Raven squad to a 19-5 record as the starting quarterback in the 1991 and 1992 seasons, with a win in the Steamboat Bowl in 1991 and a Final Four appearance in the NAIA National Championship Playoffs in 1992. Benedictine College entered the Heart of America Athletic Conference in 1992 and Tabor led the Ravens to the inaugural conference title, going on to defeat Hastings College and Baker University in the playoffs before losing to the eventual NAIA champion that year, Findlay University.

“Chris’ passion, determination, leadership and never-admit-defeat attitude provided the right chemistry for the many other fine athletes who he led as their quarterback and captain,” said former Head Football Coach Larry Wilcox.  “These same qualities have provided the foundation for his career as an assistant coach at the junior college, college and Division I levels, head college coach and at the professional level.”

This year, Tabor enters his fourth season as the Special Teams Coordinator for the Chicago Bears. It is his second stint with the club after initially holding the title of Assistant Special Teams Coach from 2008-2010. Before returning to the Bears in 2018, he spent seven seasons with the Cleveland Browns as their Special Teams Coordinator.

Prior to his work at the professional level, Tabor spent time at the assistant coaching level at Western Michigan University, Utah State University, and the University of Missouri. He was also the head coach at Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Mo., in 2001.  From 1993-1996, Tabor built experience at the NAIA, community college and high school levels, coaching at Central Methodist College in Fayette, Mo., Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College and his alma mater, Benton High School.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education at Benedictine College and a Master’s degree in education from Columbia (Mo.) College. He was named Benedictine College’s Young Alumnus of the Year in 2011.

Founded in 1858, Benedictine College is a Catholic, Benedictine, residential, liberal arts college located on the bluffs above the Missouri River in Atchison, Kansas. The school is proud to have been named in the Top 10 in the Midwest of America’s Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report, the best private college in Kansas by The Wall Street Journal, and one of the top Catholic colleges in the nation by First Things magazine and the Newman Guide. It prides itself on outstanding academics, extraordinary faith life, strong athletic programs, and an exceptional sense of community and belonging. It has a mission to educate men and women within a community of faith and scholarship.

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