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Kyle Parmley
New Briarwood Christian School volleyball coach Chris Camper speaks with athletic director Jay Mathews on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. Photo by Kyle Parmley.
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Photo by Erin Nelson. Starnes Media
State Volleyball -
Hoover head coach Chris Camper reacts as the Bucs defeat Thompson in a class 7A state semifinal match during the AHSAA Volleyball State Championship held at the Birmingham Crossplex on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Kyle Parmley
Hoover vs. Spain Park Volleyball
Hoover coach Chris Camper during a match between Hoover and Spain Park on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017, at Spain Park High School in Hoover.
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Kyle Parmley
North Regional Volleyball
Hoover head coach Chris Camper during a Class 7A North Regional match on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021, at Von Braun Center in Huntsville. Photo by Kyle Parmley.
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Kyle Parmley
Hoover vs. Oak Mountain Volleyball
Hoover head coach Chris Camper during a match between Hoover and Oak Mountain on Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018, at Oak Mountain High School in Birmingham.
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Photo by Erin Nelson. Starnes Media
Hoover at Chelsea Volleyball
Hoover head coach Chris Camper talks with his players on the bench in a match between the Chelsea Hornets and Hoover Buccaneers held at Chelsea High School on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson. Starnes Media
Hoover head coach Chris Camper talks with the Bucs during a timeout in a match against Oak Mountain at Hoover High School on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson. Starnes Media
State Volleyball -
Hoover head coach Chris Camper talks with Spain Park head coach Kellye Bowen following a class 7A state semifinal match between Spain Park and McGill-Toolen during the AHSAA Volleyball State Championship held at the Birmingham Crossplex on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Kyle Parmley
Hoover vs. Spain Park Volleyball
Hoover coach Chris Camper during a match between Hoover and Spain Park on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017, at Spain Park High School in Hoover.
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Photo by Erin Nelson. Starnes Media
State Volleyball - Hoover vs Spain Park 7A title
Hoover head coach Chris Camper reacts as the Bucs secure the class 7A championship title after defeating Spain Park in the AHSAA Volleyball State Championship held at Bill Harris Arena on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Kyle Parmley
Hoover vs. Spain Park Volleyball
Hoover head coach Chris Camper during a Class 7A North Super Regional match between Hoover and Spain Park on Friday, Oct. 26, 2018, at Von Braun Center in Huntsville.
Since Chris Camper retired from Hoover High School following the 2021 volleyball season, he has said the perfect situation would have to present itself in order for him to return to the coaching ranks.
He believes he has found that after two years out of the high school game. On Wednesday, Camper was announced as the new volleyball coach at Briarwood Christian School.
Camper was introduced to the players in a team meeting Wednesday morning at the school.
“They created the perfect storm that could get me out of retirement,” he said.
Camper takes over a Briarwood program that has had plenty of historical and recent success. Barry Walker led the Lions to seven state championships in the 1990s, and the Lions have advanced to the super regional tournament each of the last two years under Luann Causey and Carly Cline.
“Carly did an amazing job last year with this team and they had a really good year,” Camper said. “This is different than anything I’ve ever been to. This is a tradition rich volleyball program…This program can get it done.”
He started the volleyball program at Spain Park when the school opened, began building the Mountain Brook program into what it is today and led Hoover to the 2020 state title. Over a career that spanned over 25 years, Camper compiled a record of 772-304, including 11 state tournament appearances, seven semifinals and three championship matches. That 2020 Hoover team posted a 50-1 mark, won the Class 7A state championship and finished the season ranked fourth nationally. Camper won multiple national coaching awards that season.
“We could not be more excited to have Coach Camper joining our staff,” Briarwood Women’s Athletic Director Sara Wilson said in a statement. “His heart for developing athletes as young women, as players, and as women of faith has been evident from our first conversation, and we truly believe that is our purpose in education here at Briarwood. Chris is honest and direct, and he has been super transparent with us from the start. He will be a great addition to our school community, and our volleyball program will certainly thrive under his leadership.”
While his previous three jobs were building projects in various ways, he believes Briarwood is already in a great spot as he takes over and looks to continue elevating the program.
“You’re not going to get from where you are to where you want to be doing anything different; it’s still going to be hard work, you’ve got to be committed to a way of doing things the right way and you’ve got to go as hard as you can go. There is no easy way,” he said.
Camper believes as a coach, two visions for the program are always working together simultaneously: the present and the future. That means giving full effort toward winning with the current team in addition to working to ensure the future of the program (the junior high and youth teams) is in good hands as well.
Camper has been adamant about prioritizing his family in his retirement, and that will continue to be a focus of his in this next venture. His wife will serve on the coaching staff with him, while his two youngest daughters will be students at the school as well. He will remain retired from teaching.
“It’s a great opportunity for my family and me to be here,” Camper said. “I’m excited to be here and build this program. We have a tried and true system that’s worked everywhere we’ve been and we’re excited about putting it in here and seeing these girls flourish.”
