Sport: Football
Born: August 23, 1953
Town: Elizabeth, New Jersey
Gil Chapman was born August 23, 1953 in Elizabeth, NJ. Incredibly quick and incredibly fast, Gil became a two-way halfback for Thomas Jefferson High School and was rated the top prep football player in the country by Parade Magazine in 1970. In an October game that year, Gil scored five touchdowns and threw for a sixth in a 48–0 wipeout of Scotch Plains that was featured in The New York Times Sunday sports section. He had two additional touchdowns—of 87 and 41 yards—called back because of penalties. The previous week, Gil only scored twice and the Times joked that he took the afternoon off. By the time he graduated, Gil owned the New Jersey schoolboy record with 514 career points. Linebacker Richard Wood was the defensive star of the team.
At 5’8”, Gil did not project as a game-changing college back. Still, he was heavily recruited for his remarkable all-around talent, which included solid pass-receiving skills. Gil chose Michigan and coach Bo Schembechler put him to work from 1972 to 1974 as a kick and punt returner, as well as a backfield option and occasional wideout. Gil set a school record as a sophomore with 125 kick return yards against Illinois and graduated with the Michigan mark for career kick return yards, with 640. As a running back, he averaged over 5 yards per carry. In 1974, Gil received second-team All-Big 10 honors.
The Wolverines were Big 10 co-champions in all of Gil’s varsity seasons and were ranked in the Top 10 nationally all three years.
The Buffalo Bills drafted Gil and pitted him against fellow New Jerseyan Vic Washington for the kick return job, and Gil lost out to the veteran. The New Orleans Saints grabbed Gil and used him as a return man and on special teams. He ranked among the NFL’s Top 10 in several kick return categories, and took a few snaps as a wide receiver, but a late-season knee injury essentially ended any chance at a fruitful NFL career.
Gil’s “Plan B” turned out to be a brilliant one. He returned to Elizabeth and got into politics. Trading on his name and education, he became the first African American elected to the city council (or any elected post, for that matter). He also worked for the NJ Sports and Exposition Authority and was operations manager for Giants Stadium for several years.
In 1986, Gil became the owner of Island Ford in Staten Island and ran the dealership until he retired in 2009. In 1999, the Newark Star-Ledger selected a number of all-20th century sports teams. Gil made the Top 10 offensive football players in Garden State history.