Kalis preferred to stay in his hometown which allowed his parents the opportunity to attend his home games on Saturday nights in Tempe, Arizona.
Kalis was told by Rogers he would be moved to the offensive line following the conclusion of spring practice if he did not secure either a first or second string position.
Prior to the spring practice sessions Kalis was asked by offensive line coach Tom Freeman to move to the right guard position.
The Sun Devils completed the season with an 8–3 record and an invitation to play in the 1985 Holiday Bowl against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Jack Murphy Stadium.
Arizona State finished the regular season with a record of 9–1–1 and won the Pac-10 Conference title and received an invitation to play the Michigan Wolverines in the 1987 Rose Bowl.
The Vikings finished the regular season 11–5 and reached the NFL playoffs as a NFC Wild Card team and beat the Los Angeles Rams 28–17 on December 26, 1988.
The following week the Vikings met the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Division Playoffs on January 1, 1989, at Candlestick Park and lost the game 34–9.
The team went on to finish the season with a four-game losing streak which included the New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Raiders and San Francisco 49ers.
Under the leadership of new head coach Dennis Green the Vikings went on to earn a playoff spot in the NFC Wild Card game versus the Washington Redskins.
Following an extensive rehabilitation regimen due to the knee injury from the previous year, Kalis battled and recaptured the starting right guard position.
Late in the fourth quarter the Steelers marched from their own 17-yard line to the San Diego 3 to put themselves in position for a potential winning touchdown.
However, on fourth down, Chargers linebacker Dennis Gibson sealed the victory by tipping away Neil O'Donnell's pass intended for running back Barry Foster.
He was returning from a season ending ankle surgery and was surprised to find himself being asked to play the left guard position during the preseason.
The officials wanted to create more distance between the Bengals players and the fans who had already begun to tear seats out of the stadium and throw them onto the field.
Kalis started his final NFL football game on December 24, 1995, beating the Minnesota Vikings 27–24 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.
[4] The book is a collection of stories based on personal interviews conducted by Kalis highlighting the early influences that helped develop the character of a number of Pro Football Hall of Fame players.
Kyle Kalis, his oldest son, was an offensive lineman for the University of Michigan between 2012 and 2016, and played in the NFL with the Washington Redskins and Indianapolis Colts in 2017 and the Cleveland Browns in 2018.