For an OU ECCI leadership success story, look no further than Hunter “Partyse” Chavez as assistant coach for the OU “Apex Legends” esports team. A dedicated “Apex Legends” team member for years, Chavez’s transition from a substitute player to assistant coach is nothing short of inspiring.
Chavez transferred to OU in his junior year and is currently a senior pursuing a degree in economics. Shortly after he started at OU, he tried out for the “Apex Legends” esports team, since “Apex Legends” is one of his favorite games.
“I didn’t think I was going to make the team at first because…I’m not the most amazing [player],” Chavez said.
He explained that his interest in the team was mainly to find like-minded people and did not stem from a desire to compete. He said, “I was just trying to make friends at first…There’s guys that are way better than me, but I kind of just wanted to [join the team] for that brotherhood.”
After the tryouts in Fall 2024, the current head coach, Logan “Foxx” Fox, told him he made the team as a substitute player. Though some would assume substitute players rarely get to play, Chavez clarified, “[Fox]’s philosophy is that no one sits, no one is not playing.”
“If I was better on a certain map, or if there was a meta that was going out that had…characters that I was better at playing…I would just play,” Chavez said. He explained that Fox called him a “Swiss army knife” because he had a versatile skillset that was crucial to successful matches.
Eventually, Chavez joined the main roster and helped the team go to their first national competition in San Antonio, Texas, in the spring of 2025. The OU “Apex Legends” team ranked sixth in the nation last year, and they are attending the national competition again this May.
After the high point of nationals, Chavez decided to step back from esports. “He mainly did that because he knew he needed to take his education a little more seriously,” Fox said. “I tell all the other guys: you’re a student athlete, student first, so take care of your grades…because, at the end of the day, I hope you leave here with amazing memories, but I want you to leave with a degree.”
However, Chavez did not forget about the team. “He always stayed around,” Fox said. “He would always text me, like, ‘Hey, can I show up for this game? Hey, can I watch the guys practice?’…and so I told him…of course, just know that you are going to be a spectator.”
Soon enough, Chavez started politely adding to Fox’s suggestions, using his experience from the national competition to help the players. Fox insisted that Chavez never overshadowed his own coaching and would often find “good correlations” to his prior experiences and current matches.
“It was just natural,” Fox explained, “I just felt like he…was doing a really good job of [coaching]…so I [brought] him on.”
As the now-official assistant coach, Chavez has stepped back from playing and focuses on watching and analyzing the team’s matches. He joins the team in reviewing previous matches (VOD reviews), watches scrimmages and supports the team on match days.
Fox described one of Chavez’s best leadership qualities as being like a palm tree. “He can weather the storm, but he goes with the flow. He’s not going to let anything overwhelm him or overcome him…no matter what comes through.”
One of the biggest challenges Chavez has faced so far is favoritism. Since one of his old teammates is still on the team, that dynamic makes it difficult for Chavez to stay objective towards the teammate’s ideas. “I try to not word it as I’m choosing a side, but more as…[finding] the better option…We take steps back and try and see it from a different perspective.”
Fox echoes this sentiment, having made a similar transition to Chavez. “Differentiating that relationship…from teammate to now coach, [was] kind of difficult for me.” He continued, “…[Chavez] has got a phenomenal relationship [with the players], [but] do I think he’s kind of battling those challenges that I was officially becoming a player into now an assistant coach? I think he is.”
Chavez is most excited about the national competition coming up in May. “I want to see how my guys are going to do. I think that we have a really good roster this year, and I think that they are one of the top teams in the country again.”
Chavez has demonstrated his passion for camaraderie and gaming in his transition into assistant coach for the “Apex Legends” team. “I do believe he has taken a great love into coaching and loves our players,” Fox said. “He’s a really good kid.”
If you want to support the “Apex Legends” team, go watch their match this Saturday, March 28th, at 11 am, on theOU Esports Twitch page.
