Eugene Chung brings NFL experience, Super Bowl ring to Florida high school football staff

NAPLES, Fla. – After making it to the top in football, Eugene Chung had to return to the sport’s roots to rediscover his passion.

That’s exactly what the former NFL player and coach is doing this season at Community School of Naples. Following 10 years in the league as a coach and five as a player, Chung has moved his family to Southwest Florida and now serves as CSN’s offensive line coach and the school's assistant director of athletic operations.

Chung has gone from coaching millionaires in the Super Bowl to teaching fundamentals to teenagers on Friday nights. And he’s doing it at a private, 300-student school that’s only had a football program for 11 years.

So far, it’s been a breath of fresh air for Chung.

“When you’re doing something for so long at a high, competitive level, you start to lose the reason why,” Chung said. “This is reminding me how much football means. It’s a great opportunity to mentor young kids who can find their way through athletics.”

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'One of those serendipitous things'

Chung, 52, has been on football’s biggest stages for more than 30 years.

After high school in Virginia, Chung was an All-American offensive lineman and four-year letterwinner at Virginia Tech. He was taken No. 13 overall in the 1992 NFL Draft, becoming the first Korean American to be taken in the first round.

Chung played five seasons in the NFL, three for the New England Patriots and one each for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts. After his playing days, he started his NFL coaching career as the assistant offensive line coach for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2010-12.

After coaching with the Kansas City Chiefs (2013-15), Chung won a championship in his second stint with the Eagles (2016-19). He was the assistant offensive line coach in 2017 when Philadelphia beat the Patriots in Super Bowl LII.

Chung left the Eagles after the 2019 season following 10 years coaching in the league. When the coronavirus pandemic hit just a few months later, throwing the next NFL season into uncertainty, Chung and his wife, Shannon, moved to Fort Myers with their two children.

Shannon (Frankle) Chung grew up in Fort Myers and graduated from Lehigh Senior High School. She still owned a house in the area in 2020, and so did her parents, so the Chung family headed south.

Shannon also is the reason Eugene Chung ended up at Community School. Her father, Don Frankle, has been a photographer for the school for about 25 years.

“My father-in-law was always raving about this private school in Southwest Florida,” Chung said. “I was tired of hearing about it and wanted to see it myself. My jaw just hit the ground when I got to campus. It’s absolutely amazing.”

Chung got to know CSN head of school David Watson and football coach Paul Selvidio. After a decade as a coach, working nearly 100-hour weeks and being on the road half the time, he was ready for a change. He and Shannon have young kids, ages 5 and 3, and Chung was eager for a chance at more family time.

“It was one of those serendipitous things,” Chung said. “With what was going on with their athletic program, their needs and my availability, the stars aligned and our plans aligned just right.”

'Time to speak up'

Chung joined the Community School staff in July, just in time to begin preseason practices.

Just months before that, he made national news when he revealed he had received a racially insensitive comment while interviewing for an NFL coaching job. Chung said in May that he was told he was “not the right minority” when it comes to the NFL’s hiring of minority coaches.

In July, following an internal investigation, the NFL said it couldn’t confirm exactly what was said to Chung and who said it. Chung said he was disappointed in the investigation because he only had one short conversation with NFL officials and didn’t get to meet with commissioner Roger Goodell.

When deciding to step away from the NFL, Chung said the incident was a factor in the equation but not a big one. In fact, Chung said he’d like to coach in the NFL again one day.

Rather, the coach said he revealed the racial comment to shine light on the discrimination Asian Americans have faced.

“When that surfaced, it was time for that (comment) to come out,” Chung said. “It’s something that had been said to me for many, many years in the NFL. That it was said again in 2021 was shocking to me.

“Especially with the climate in our country right now, it was time to speak up about it. I don’t want any young coach or young player to experience that.”

Chung felt shock again a few weeks ago when old emails from Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden surfaced that included racist and sexist language. Those emails forced Gruden to resign.

“Comments like that don’t belong anywhere,” said Chung, who personally knows Gruden. “It’s very unfortunate that those things are actually being said. I just shake my head and say, ‘Why?’”

Seeing Gruden’s emails further convinced Chung that it’s time to address the racial discrimination in the NFL. The coach said he’s currently working with the league to rectify some of the issues. Chung said the results of his conversations with the NFL will be announced at a later date, but he couldn’t yet say what they will be.

'A gift to be taught by him'

The Community School football team was one of the question marks in Southwest Florida coming into the season. The Seahawks went 9-2 last year behind a running game that averaged 249.4 yards per game.

However, CSN graduated its top two running backs, as well as four starting offensive linemen. It was unclear if the young Seahawks could repeat their success in 2021.

CSN hasn’t missed a beat. The Seahawks are 6-1, average 202.8 yards on the ground, and on Friday they play First Baptist (7-1) in a game that could decide the No. 1 seed in the upcoming regional playoffs.

How much of that success does Selvidio attribute to the addition of Chung and his NFL experience?

“Almost all of it,” the Seahawks head coach said.

Community School is winning with three offensive linemen who have never started a game before this year. Two of them had never played the position before, and one had never played football.

The offensive line has grown so much under Chung that Selvidio thinks two of the linemen could play in college – right tackle Austin Zimm (6-4, 205), who had never played football before, and left tackle James Shaffer (6-4, 265), who had never started before.

“(Chung is) really developing talent on the offensive line,” Selvidio said. “It’s such a gift for them to be taught by him. And the connections he has in his football network will yield high results as well (in college).”

Community School is led in rushing by Mathew Wiley, who did not have a carry last season. Wiley averaged 112.3 yards per game.

“(Chung) also helps tremendously with the running backs,” Selvidio said. “Those guys up front and the RBs are on the same page and the results have been exceptional.”