Lion Legacy: Remembering Foundation football’s Denzel Irvin

When former Foundation Academy football coach Brad Lord took over the South Lake High program in 2023, one of the first people he tried to get to join his staff was his former player Denzel Irvin. 

Lord’s recruitment effort to convince the former Foundation standout to make the move out to Groveland ultimately was unsuccessful. However, the reasons behind Irvin’s decision are a small representation of the lasting legacy the Foundation alum left behind at his alma mater.

“Denzel was quite a young man,” Lord said. “He was an unbelievable athlete because he outworked everyone. That’s who he was as a coach and as a player, really. That’s why, when I came here to South Lake, one of the first things I did was try and get Denzel to come with me. But he was so dedicated to the area, and Groveland is a pretty good hike. He was settled there, and I ended up not being able to get him up here, but I tried. … He just really had a heart for Foundation Academy, he was really tight with his alma mater. He cared about those kids that he coached over there. He’d always tell me when we spoke, ‘Coach, I want to give them the experience that you gave me at Foundation.’”

Irvin, who died Dec. 22, 2024, played two seasons for the Lions — graduating from the school in 2014 — before returning as an assistant coach in 2022 under former Foundation head coach Andre Walker. During his two stints as part of the Lions football program, Irvin made a profound impact. 

On the field

As a player, Irvin wasn’t a five-star talent, but through his hard work, he not only was a pleasure to coach but also was one of Foundation’s first representatives at college football’s highest level.

“He was an awesome kid to coach, a coach’s dream,” Lord said. “I think Denzel, as a coach, really wanted to pass down to his players the work ethic he had as a player. He was such a hard worker that he worked himself into getting an FBS scholarship. He worked for everything he got. It wasn’t like he was one of these five-star athletes. I mean, he was gifted, don’t get me wrong, but he wasn’t gifted like that. He had to outwork everyone to get on the field.”

Irvin, a 6-foot, 170-pound athlete, was a playmaker for Lord’s Lions teams, earning himself an All-State team selection as a defensive back and an All-District selection as a wide receiver. Beyond his individual success as a player, Irvin’s leadership was a big part of Foundation reaching its first-ever state playoffs, which laid the groundwork for the program’s success in the years after.

“He and his brother, Darius, came to Foundation from West Orange (High) in 2012, and they’re the ones (who) really helped start all the success that we had,” Lord said. “I was there for 16 years, and I think we made the playoffs for 14 out of those 16 years, and a big part of that run was because of Denzel and some of these other kids who came to Foundation and helped turn our football program into what it was for a while.”

Following his two seasons at Foundation, the two-star defensive back prospect signed to play college ball for the University of North Carolina — Charlotte and went on to play in 31 games across three seasons.

Roaming the sidelines

When Irvin’s playing career ended, he made the move to the sidelines, serving as an assistant coach in North Carolina at Butler High School. Following his heart transplant in 2022, Irvin joined former Foundation coach Andre Walker’s staff as a defensive backs coach. 

Irvin’s pair of campaigns as a Lions player helped Foundation grow as a program, but it was the impact of his three seasons as a coach for the Lions that rippled beyond the football field.

“He was so good at appreciating the moment and understanding that every day wasn’t promised,” Walker said. “That was one of the biggest messages he would always preach to our players and coaches: How easy life can be taken away from a young individual. … He shared his stories about the things that he couldn’t do after the transplant — like he couldn’t talk. He had to learn how to talk again. He couldn’t walk, so he had to learn how to walk again, and that helped him be more appreciative of the small stuff. Because of his outlook, I started to look at my situation and say to myself, ‘How could I get up in the morning thinking this is too challenging or this is unfair when I wake up with breath in my lungs every day? When I wake up with the opportunity to get up and walk and go do as I please, when there’s an individual in front of me telling me all of that stuff was stripped and taken away and all they could do at the time is dive into their Bible and have faith that the situation would ultimately change.’ From stories like that, ultimately, he changed a lot of people’s outlook on life in general, not just from a football standpoint. He really made you appreciate the little moments because just as quickly as you complain, life could be taken from you just like that.”

Irvin’s presence and the sharing of his journey were inspirational to those in and around the Foundation football program, so much so that last season, Walker gives him a large part of the credit for helping lead a young Lions team to the playoffs.

“From a coaching perspective, an example of Denzel’s impact was this past year,” Walker said. “We probably shouldn’t have been as successful as we were, but through moments where Denzel shared his testimony about his heart transplant and how he had a 10% chance of survival to not finding a match for the heart transplant to them ultimately getting the right heart and the whole recovery process, as we were getting ready to go into our season when everybody from the outside — and even those who were at the school — looked at our current roster and didn’t think we would be any good, we rallied together. His message to our guys was that we as a team weren’t going to allow anyone from the outside to tell us what we are going to be this season, we’re going to put our faith in God and we’re going to put in the work. It felt like he delivered a speech like that every other week to the team and it was contagious. Ultimately, we had a rollercoaster season full of ups and downs, but we prevailed and played in the playoffs. Looking at the kids that we had this past season, they definitely went all out each game and they ultimately progressed throughout the season. Being that we were a young, inexperienced team, I like to attribute a large part of our success and growth to Denzel, because he shared his story and challenged those guys to put their best foot forward every day. He was just contagious.”

Lasting impact

With a legacy as large as Irvin’s, the void he leaves behind at Foundation is one that is noticeable. 

“Denzel got into coaching for the right reasons, and his passion for football, training and the Lord was on display every day,” Foundation baseball coach Dakoda Grove said. “Being back on campus since his passing, you can feel the void. He will be missed as a friend, co-worker and more — as he wore many hats at FA.”

One of the many reasons his presence will be so missed by those who worked closely with him is his desire to serve.

“Denzel lived his life in the service of others,” Foundation Athletic Director Robert East said. “His greatest joy was to see someone succeed in their dreams. His walk with Christ was exemplified in loving others in an authentic way.”

Ultimately, Irving’s legacy can be captured with one word: faith.

“Denzel was a young man who demonstrated to everyone around what it looked like to walk by faith,” Foundation Academy President Dave Buckles said. “He knew his days were numbered with his new heart, so he wanted to use every day to help make others better. I don’t want to miss his last words to his father: ‘I see God, He’s got me.’ Because of his walk, he is with God!”