Yesterday's edition of our spotlight series focused on George Fadok, a member of Arizona State's historic 1975 team. Today, we jump ahead to the 80's for the next historic season, and celebrate 65 days until kickoff with the career of Todd Kalis.
Born in Stillwater MN, Todd and his family found their way to Phoenix during his childhood, where he attended Thunderbird High School. A three sport letterman in football, tennis, and track and field, Todd was heavily recruited in both football and tennis. He would accept an offer from head coach Darryl Rogers to stay in Arizona and play for the Sun Devils, allowing his parents the chance to see him play home games at Sun Devil Stadium.
Originally a defensive end, Kalis was a redshirt for his freshman season in 1983. During spring practices before the 1984 season, Rogers told Kalis that he would be moved to the offensive side of the ball if he was unable to land a first or second string position, to which Todd answered the call and asked to be moved immediately.
Seeing limited action in the 1984 season, Todd would move from right tackle to right guard, and won the starting position for the 1985 season under new head coach John Cooper. The first season in what would become a 36 consecutive start streak for Kalis, the Devils went a respectable 8-4 overall, narrowly losing to Arkansas in the Holiday Bowl by an 18-17 score.
His junior season was a historic year for the program, as the Sun Devils finished 10-1-1, winning the Pac-10 title outright for the first time and capping off the season with a 22-15 win over Michigan in the 1987 Rose Bowl. Kalis started every game that season, contributing to an offense that finished 9th in the nation with 29.8 points per game, and a rushing offense that averaged 193 yards per game.
Todd returned for his senior season in 1987, once again starting every game as the Devils finished 7-4-1, ending the season ranked No. 20 in the nation after a 33-28 win over Air Force in the 1987 Freedom Bowl.
After graduation, Todd was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 4th round (108th overall) in the 1988 NFL Draft. He spent the majority of his career with the Vikings, also playing a season each with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals over his eight seasons.
He would appear in 103 games over his career, starting 63, and made the NFL playoffs in five of his eight seasons. Notably, Todd played in the final game at Cleveland Municipal Stadium while a member of the Bengals in 1995, what was thought to be the final Cleveland Browns game ever.
After retiring and spending a couple years off the gridiron, Todd found his way back to football in 1998 as a part time offensive line coach for the Robert Morris Colonials, helping them to the Northeast Conference (Division 1-AA) title that season.
In 2000, Todd began working with NFL Alumni, being voted President of the Pittsburgh Chapter in June of that year. Todd would continue his involvement for over 16 years, becoming the youngest member of the NFL Alumni Board of Directors in 2002, and serving concurrently as Chairman of the NFL Alumni Board of Chapter Presidents (2003-2010) and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors (2004-2010). Todd stepped down from his roles with NFL Alumni in 2017, but his impact over the years was immeasurable.
In addition to his philanthropic work after his career, Todd also co-authored Pigskin Dreams - The People, Places and Events that Forged the Character of the NFL's Greatest Players, based on interviews Kalis conducted about influences for many Pro Football Hall of Famers.
While awards don't dot Kalis' mantle at home, Todd more than did the Sun Devil faithful proud with his off-field contributions, for which we honor him with 65 days until the 2025 season opener.