Chapman graduated from Marion Harding High School in 1953, earning six combined letters in football, basketball, and baseball, including earning first-team all-Buckeye League as defensive back his senior season.
[2] At the high school level, he coached Willoughby South to a 101–35–6 (.732) record from 1968 to 1981, earning five Greater Cleveland Conference championships (1970, 1973, 1974, 1978 and 1980).
[3] According to Sports Illustrated, Chapman's 1983 Christmas card to the players read: "9-0 and Number 1 in the NCAC and NCAA.
"[4] For the first time in 46 years, the Spartans went undefeated, winning the first ever North Coast Athletic Conference title during its inaugural season in 1984.
In 2010, Chapman was inducted into the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame (OHSFCA).