A Family Affair
Jordan Beasley
As staunch sports fans, we’ve been privy to some historic father-son duos, who not only exceled in college athletics, but have carved out successful professional careers. Here are a few that resonate with most in no particular order: Ed and Christian McCaffrey, Bill and Luke Walton, Dell and Stephen Curry, Marvin and Marvin Harrison Jr. and Deion and Shedeur Sanders.
While father-son duos in sports are common and have been prevalent for years, they’re not as pronounced and celebrated in Olympic sports, particularly track and field. Luckily for Boise State fans and supporters, there’s one duo you should make note and be aware of, if you aren’t already.
There isn’t a more appropriate time than the present to introduce Bronco Nation to an athletic family whose name has been around the Treasure Valley for 30-plus years. First becoming recognizable in the early 90s, the surname Lawyer has resurfaced and is once again a key piece of Boise State Athletics.
It begins with Kerry Lawyer, who was a standout Big Sky track and field athlete from 1991-94 under legendary head coach Ed Jacoby. If you take a gander at the Boise State track and field record book, you’ll quickly find that Kerry’s name appears multiple times in various sections and lists that highlight top-five marks and yearly accolades.
“Boise State was a phenomenal place to attend and compete during my years under legendary coach Ed Jacoby,” said Kerry. “Back then, we had a complete team—sprinters, hurdlers, jumpers, throwers, vaulters and distance runners—and that’s what Coach McCurry and his staff are building again.”
A three-time track and field conference champion and competitor in outdoor nationals, Kerry holds the program’s top mark for the fastest 100 meters (10.21, 1994) while also recording a 6.69 60-meter dash in 1994, a time that stood atop the record book for 32 years until it was finally broken in 2026. Additionally, Kerry was a member of the football team, where he earned second-team all-conference honors as a sophomore returner in 1992.
If you fast forward three decades to present day, there’s another Lawyer who has joined the Boise State family. Fully aware of his father’s success and many accolades, Chase Lawyer is well on his way to furthering the family legacy and etching his name in the record book.
“My dad has these accolades because he worked hard, and he’s pushed me to a point where I can do it as well,” said Chase. “I know what I’m capable of. I like the idea of him being No. 1 in the 100 meters and having the chance to put my name next to his. There aren’t any expectations for me to succeed, but there is a vision. To follow in footsteps really means something to me as an athlete.”
Born and raised in Boise, Chase attended Boise High School, where he played lacrosse and eventually found a love for track and field. Suffering a skiing accident that pushed him toward the track in his second year of high school, Chase was always familiar with the sport and what it means to his family.
“I first became knowledgeable of track and field through the Olympics,” Chase said. “Every summer, my dad and uncle would sit down together and watch, but me personally, I didn’t start running until my sophomore year. After my skiing accident and knee surgery, I made the switch from lacrosse to track because I didn’t have to train to move laterally again.”
Growing up in a household where his dad and older brother were elite sprinters, Chase always thought sprints were cool. However, he didn’t want to follow the mold, and through the help of a family friend, Chase found his own love within the sport.
Stumbling upon hurdles and the talent he possessed, Chase dominated the high school scene. Graduating as one of the state’s top hurdlers, Chase competed in the state championships twice, placing third in the 110m hurdles as a junior, before finishing as runner-up in the same event a year later during his senior campaign. He also finished in the top four in the 300m hurdles in both years.
Reaching significant heights as a junior and senior, there was a moment during his sophomore year that set the stage for success. A big performance and a congratulatory conversation with his grandmother propelled Chase to heights he wasn’t sure were possible.
“During my sophomore season, I ran a big race at our district meet to qualify for state,” Chase remembered. “There was no way when I woke up that morning that I believed I would make it to state with it being my first year running track and doing hurdles. On my way home from the meet, after qualifying for state, I had a call with my grandma, and she said, ‘You made it, you made it. That’s what I’m talking about. You’re destined for greatness; you just have to wait for it.’ That was the moment I knew I could do something special in track.”
With Chase’s high school success, there was no shortage of coaches and recruiters who wanted his services at the collegiate level. Despite being from Boise and being recruited by head coach Pat McCurry and Boise State, Chase’s plan was to move away from home and experience something different.
For the next couple sentences, Boise State fans and alums may want to cover their eyes.
Mason, Chase’s older brother, was a collegiate sprinter at Washington State during his original recruitment as a rising senior. Motivated to be closer to his older brother, Chase not only declined interest from Boise State, but decided to commit to the Broncos’ fierce in-state rival, University of Idaho.
“When I was getting recruited, my original thought was not to stay in Boise,” said Chase. “I wanted to experience something new, and I wanted to be close to my brother. During my recruitment process before my senior season, I ended up signing with Idaho, which would have put me a few miles away.”
In his senior season, Chase blew expectations out the water as a hurdler and set some nationally-ranked marks in the process. As fate would have it, the Vandal head coach who recruited him to Moscow, was let go in favor of a brand-new staff.
Putting him in a complete backpedal, Chase decided to reopen his recruitment, and with the marks he set that year, he grew interest from a slew of programs. Though the attention was nice and flattering, Chase prioritized going to a place where he had familiarity with the coaching staff.
Welcome to the chat, Boise State.
“No brainer would be an understatement regarding any decision to recruit Chase again,” McCurry said. “I saw Chase compete at the Boise City meet his junior year before I even had the job here. I watched him race once, and filed it away that if I got the job, he'd be No. 1 on our hurdle board in that first recruiting class. We were beyond bummed when he picked another school, but thankfully he came back around.”
The Broncos’ interest in Chase, despite the denial the previous fall, truly meant something to the incoming freshman. After extensive talks with his dad and the Boise State coaching staff, Chase bought into Coach McCurry’s vision and the return to excellence he’s establishing.
Chase wanted to stay home and stay in a city that brought him so much success. It wasn’t linear, but in the end, Chase wanted to push forward the Lawyer legacy on the hallowed grounds of Boise State.
Interestingly enough, the legacy extends beyond his dad, Kerry. Chase’s mom, Jill, is also a proud graduate of Boise State, and was a member of the Mane Line Dancers, a group that won the 1993 Universal Dance Association (UDA) National Dance Team Championship, the first in school history.
“We’re proud Broncos, and we bleed blue and orange in this household,” said Kerry. “It brings us 100 percent joy to see Chase put on that uniform and be part of the track and field program. Coach McCurry and his staff are bringing back what a true, complete track and field team is supposed to look like and it’s exciting to see it take shape.”
Needless to say, Kerry and Jill couldn’t have been happier and more relieved to see their son put away the morbid Idaho colors in place of the vibrant Boise State colors.
“We come from the 1990s, when the Boise State and Idaho rivalry was at its peak,” Kerry said when asked about his son’s decision. “I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t mixed feelings when he originally signed with Idaho, but at the time, none of that really mattered. After the coaching change, Chase took a couple weeks to evaluate his options, and ultimately decided on Boise State. Jill and I have always supported our kids in their decision, and we’re very happy he chose the Broncos.”
Have I mentioned the Lawyer legacy yet? Well, it extends even further than Kerry and Jill.
Chase’s uncle, David Lawyer, is prominently represented in the track and field record book with three top-five marks and six conference championships from 1988-90. His aunt, Tracye Lawyer, is an orthopedic surgeon who won the 1999 national champion in the heptathlon at Bronco Stadium (now known as Alberton’s Stadium). And let’s not forget Chase’s cousin, Asia Lawyer, who is a current member of the Boise State soccer team, with 61 games (16 starts) and 11 points (4 goals, 3 assists) under her belt.
It’s certainly fair to equate legacy with the Lawyer name, and now it’s Chase’s turn. Not yet finished with his freshman season, Chase has the fifth-fastest mark in the 60-meter hurdles (7.92) and has been part of two relay teams (4x100 and 4x400) that have produced the second and fourth-fastest times in school history.
“He's done everything we would expect plus some as a freshman,” said McCurry. “You have to understand that hurdles are among the toughest event area for an athlete to transition from high school to college. The hurdle height has gone up in the 110s and the intermediates are 100 meters longer. To be as competitive as he has right off the bat is remarkable.”
Affectionately called “tall baby giraffe” by his family, Chase has declared his freshman season a success. He’s navigated various challenges while still putting forth some impressive marks.
“As a freshman, I feel like I’ve adjusted to the landscape of living on my own while training for track and keeping up with my studies,” said Chase. “I feel like I’m trending upward as a freshman, but at the end of the day, I have four years and I know it’s going to take time to truly succeed. I think I’ve done enough as a freshman to show what’s to come over my career.”
Chase is admirably carrying the Lawyer last name and upholding its legacy at Boise State. A second-generation student-athlete with family members littered throughout the university’s history and record books, the baton is firmly in his hands. After watching what he’s done in year one, we have no reason to believe that Chase won’t be the next great Lawyer to don the iconic Bronco head.
“It’s awesome that Boise State has a particular name, especially in track and field, around it,” Chase said. “You look at the record book, and there’s one last name that shows up a lot—Lawyer. There’s certainly a legacy and there are people who are cheering me on to add to the record book and make track great again in The Valley, as it once was.”