Chambers will join NMAA hall of fame

Former Magdalena Schools superintendent Mike Chambers will be inducted into the New Mexico Activities Association Hall of Fame in March. 

“I’m tickled to death,” said Chambers, who spent about 45 years as an educator in New Mexico, including a decade as Magdalena superintendent until his retirement in 2016. “To be recognized in this way is just beyond what I could hope for.”

An emotional Chambers, 70, made the comments last Thursday after an NMAA ceremony announcing Chambers and Dana Pappas as the 120th and 121st NMAA Hall of Fame inductees. 

In 1973, Chambers graduated from Los Lunas High School, where he excelled in the classroom, earning Salutatorian honors, and in sports as a standout athlete in track and basketball for the Tigers. 

Following graduation from Western New Mexico University, where he was an all-conference performer in track, Chambers taught for two years in Clifton, Arizona. From there, it was back home to teach and coach at LLHS. “I kind of got started (coaching) in volleyball. I never had any intentions of that at all, but found that I really liked it.” 

His stay in Los Lunas lasted 13 years and morphed into administrative roles including vice principal and athletic director. An administrative career, as Chambers noted, often means you “bounce around from place to place.” That took Chambers to principal and superintendent positions in San Jon, Kirtland Central, Zuni, Grants and Magdalena. There was also a tenure as special education and curriculum director for the Laguna Department of Education.

It was in those locales that Chambers began closely working with the NMAA in various roles. Those included a long stint as district chairperson and a member of the NMAA executive board and numerous committees. 

Of all the stops along the way, Magdalena brings special memories. “Magdalena was awesome,” Chambers said. “I loved the people there. I tell people all the time that it was probably my favorite job of all time–They took me in. They took my family in, and when we left it was like leaving family behind. It was tremendous.” 

Chambers is now retired as an educator, living in Grants and working in the private sector.

“It made me very happy, very proud,” Chambers said of his reaction when notified of the honor after his long association with the NMAA. “To have it culminate and be recognized in this way is just beyond what I could hope for.” 

The Class of 2026 includes Chambers and Papas, a former NMAA deputy director who currently works for the National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS) in Indiana. Both will be enshrined on March 12 at the Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid.