Founder and Offensive Line Coach
Chris Babyar

Red Zone Blocking Clinic was founded by former NFL offensive lineman Chris Babyar.

Chris began his diverse career in football in the Chicagoland area at the age of 7 when he started playing for the Bloomingdale Bears.

Monday through Friday he would practice as the tight-end and quarterback, and when Saturday game days would come, he’d be on the field throwing and running touchdowns like a natural-born champion.

Chris found his love for the game would eventually take on a different perspective as he started to grow and transform into a young man who was “on the bigger side, playing with the bigger kids.”

Because of this, he self-admittedly had no other choice but to learn how to play “real, tough football” by “getting his butt kicked by the older kids”.

By the time he was a senior in high school, Chris wanted to focus his efforts on quarterbacking at Lake Park High School in Roselle, but also played on the defensive team.

That year the team finished well and he captured the eyes of the recruiters at University of Illinois.

Making the switch to college brought on a new challenge for Chris as he moved into the role of a Big Ten offensive guard in the fall of 1980.

It was a huge step up, but that year was a successful one for the Illini with crowds up to 80,000 fans attending to see Chris and several of his other soon to be NFL brothers – Tony Eason future quarterback for the New England Patriots, Dave Wilson for the New Orleans Saints, and Jack Trudeau for the Indianapolis Colts – take them to a winning season.

By the time Chris was a junior at Illinois, the Illini finished as Conference champs and advanced to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, and he earned the first of two 1st Team All-Big Ten honors.

During his senior year, he earned a starting role in the East-West Shrine, Blue-Gray and Senior Bowl All-star games.

After college, Chris married his high school sweetheart of 8 years, and shortly thereafter, in April of 1985, he got word that the dream he’d been striving his whole life for had finally come true.

Chris was drafted to play on the offensive line for the NFL with the Buffalo Bills.

Again he moved into a new role, offensive tackle, a position compared to hitting a brick wall at 25mph.

Though just another new challenge to Chris, he quickly adapted and also played on special teams as a long snapper.

After two successful seasons with the Bills, Chris was traded to the Denver Broncos to play alongside their marquee player John Elway.

Unfortunately, that year Chris suffered an on-field injury that shattered his left ankle, cutting his NFL career short.

But that didn’t stop him from continuing to diversify himself.

No way, not Chris.

Moving on, from 1988-2005, Chris returned to his prep alma-mater at Lake Park as their offensive and defensive lineman coach, with hopes to inspire and give back to those that helped get him started.

It was then when Coach Babyar saw the biggest turning point of his career.

He realized a larger calling, the ability to equip average offensive linemen – youth through college age – with the same advantages and experiences he leveraged throughout the years to become the decorated, diverse champion he is today.

And with that dream he took the biggest gamble of his life. In 2008 Chris took a leap of faith as an entrepreneur and started Red Zone Blocking Clinics so that others could have the same “tough, butt kickin” opportunity to get in the game and become champions, just like him.

Are you interested in having Coach Babyar speak at your school or event?

If so, click here to contact him.