Gil Chapman

Gil Chapman (born August 23, 1953) is an American former professional football player, politician and businessman.

Chapman became one of the leading scorers in the history of New Jersey high school football while playing for Thomas Jefferson High School in Elizabeth, New Jersey from 1968 to 1970. In 1970, he was picked by Parade magazine as the "Number 1 Player in America." He has also been selected as one of New Jersey's top ten offensive football players of the 20th Century.

From 1972 to 1974, he played college football for the Michigan Wolverines under head coach Bo Schembechler. During his three years at Michigan, he scored 18 touchdowns and gained over 2,500 total yards, including 1,090 return yards, 919 rushing yards and 517 rushing yards. At the conclusion of his career, he held Michigan's all-time records for career kickoff return yardage (640) and single-game kickoff return yardage (125 against Illinois in 1972).

Chapman played professional football for the New Orleans Saints during the 1975 NFL season. As a rookie, he ranked fifth in the NFL with 12.2 yards per punt return and tenth with 804 total return yards.

After retiring from football, Chapman served from 1978 to 1983 on the City Council in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the first African-American to hold any elected office in the city. He worked in management and sales for the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority from 1979 to 1984, including several years as the operations manager of Giants Stadium. From 1986 to 2009, he owned and operated a Ford Motor Company dealership on Staten Island, New York.

Early life Chapman was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, As a junior in 1969, he was the leading scorer in the State of New Jersey with 179 points. In November 1969, he ran for four touchdowns and two 2-point conversions in a single game. As a senior in October 1970, he scored five touchdowns in another game, increasing his career scoring total to 462 points. The New York Times once joked that "Gil Chapman, New Jersey's leading scorer, had an 'off' day with only two touchdowns and 6 extra points."

During his high school career, Chapman totaled 514 career points and rushed for 3,200 yards in his junior and senior years.

University of Michigan Chapman enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1971 on a football scholarship. He played as a running back and return specialist for Bo Schembechler's Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1972 to 1974.

1972 season As a sophomore, Chapman played at the split end position, starting five games, for the 1972 team that finished the season 10-1 and ranked No. 6 in the final AP and UPI polls. He also handled punt and kickoff returns for the 1972 team, returning 20 punts for 180 yards and 8 kickoffs for 276 yards.

On October 14, 1972, Chapman had his career-long run from scrimmage against Michigan State. With nine minutes left in the game, Michigan led, 3-0. Playing in front of the second largest crowd in Michigan Stadium history to that time, Chapman took the ball on a reverse and raced 58 yards down the left side for Michigan's only touchdown.

Against Illinois in late October 1972, Chapman also set a school record with 125 yards on two kickoff returns, including a 73-yard return for a touchdown.

Chapman finished the 1972 season with 149 rushing yards and a team-high 5.7 yards per carry.

One week after his 83-yard return against Oregon, Chapman rushed for a career-high 117 yards on 20 carries against Michigan State. The highlight of the game was Chapman's 53-yard end run for a touchdown.

For the second straight year, Chapman led the Wolverines in return yards. He totaled 133 yards on 6 kickoffs and 179 yards on 13 punts. Chapman's move to fullback made room for Gordon Bell (1,048 rushing yards in 1974) and Rob Lytle (802 rushing yards in 1974) to take over at the tailback position.

Chapman scored two rushing touchdowns for the only time in his career in a 49-0 win over Minnesota on October 26, 1974.

Chapman's final game for Michigan was a 12-10 loss to Ohio State at the end of the 1974 season. In the first quarter, Chapman set up Michigan's first score with a 42-yard reception from Dennis Franklin that led to a 37-yard field goal by Mike Lantry. Chapman also ran for a touchdown in the first quarter to give Michigan a 10-0 lead. Ohio State responded with four field goals, and a last-minute field goal attempt by Michigan's Mike Lantry went wide.

During the 1974 season, Chapman was Michigan's leader in return yards for the third straight year, accumulating 322 return yards on 12 kickoffs and 12 punts.

At the conclusion of his playing career at Michigan, Chapman held Michigan's all-time records for career kickoff return yardage (640) and single-game kickoff return yardage (125 against Illinois in 1972). His career record was broken in 1981 by Anthony Carter, and his single-game record was broken in 1990 by Desmond Howard. He went on to play as a punt and kickoff return specialist for the New Orleans Saints during the 1975 NFL season. He returned 17 punts for 207 yards and 28 kickoffs for 614 yards. His average of 12.2 yards per punt return ranked fifth in the NFL during the 1975 season. He was released by the Saints in July 1976.

Later years and honors After retiring from football, Chapman returned to New Jersey. In 1978, he was elected to the City of Elizabeth City Council, becoming the first African-American to hold any elected position in the city. He served on the City Council through 1983. Chapman retired from the dealership in 2009.

In 1998, Chapman became one of the inaugural inductees into the City of Elizabeth Athletic Hall of Fame. At that time, Chapman was residing in Westfield, New Jersey with his wife Idalene and their two children.