Weber State head football coach Eric Kjar, who won a state championship at Jordan High School in 2012 and spent 13 years on the Beetdiggers' staff, has publicly shared his battles with major depressive disorder and multiple sclerosis.

Kjar opened up in a Salt Lake Tribune profile by columnist Gordon Monson published Sunday, Oct. 4. The piece details how the coach who arrived at Jordan as an assistant in 2004 and became head coach in 2009 nearly lost his life to depression before going on to compile seven state titles across two schools.

"Depression kicked my butt," Kjar told the Tribune. "The worst thing I've gone through, for sure."

The depression began in 2010, during his second season leading the Beetdiggers. Kjar described mornings as the hardest. His wife, Andrea, who grew up in Sandy and met Kjar at Snow College, guided him toward treatment. She and their four young children sometimes sat in the driver's ed shack at school while he taught, so he would know they were there.

About a year later, Kjar was diagnosed with MS. He now manages both conditions with medication.

His openness carries personal weight. Kjar's father, Kim, fell into depression after a staph infection led to heart valve surgery and took his own life in Wyoming when Eric was a freshman in college.

Despite those struggles, Kjar built a record that stands second in Utah prep history for state titles. At Jordan, he went 69-29 and coached quarterback Austin Kafentzis, who became Utah's all-time career passer (12,929 yards) and rusher (6,749 yards, 100 rushing touchdowns), according to the Standard-Examiner. He moved to Corner Canyon in Draper in 2017 and won six more championships. His combined record: 181-39.

The Sandy connection runs deep. NFL quarterback Zach Wilson sought out Kjar's coaching as a seventh-grader, riding the train from Crescent View Middle School to Jordan High for early morning throwing sessions. Wilson, Jaxson Dart and Jackson Powers-Johnson had their jerseys retired at Corner Canyon on March 31, when the Canyons School District also presented Kjar its first Legacy of Excellence Award.

Weber State athletic director Tim Crompton hired Kjar in December 2025 after more than 80 coaches applied for the position. Kjar commutes daily from Draper to Ogden. His sons Noah and Tate are part of the Weber State program.

The Wildcats sit at 3-3 through Saturday, Oct. 3. They host Idaho on Saturday, Oct. 10.

Andrea Kjar told the Tribune that stigma around depression is easing but still real, comparing it to their son Noah's diabetes: "It's not just mind over matter. It requires treatment."

If you are having suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.