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With The Coach:
Veteran of the CEGEP gridiron
John Meagher
The Gazette
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Lou Chapman and his team during a game.
With the Coach is a weekly series featuring a conversation with a local coach.
Coach: Lou Chapman, 54-year-old Pointe Claire resident and academic adviser at John Abbott College
Team: John Abbott Islanders football team
Playing experience: Lindsay Place High School and later at John Abbott College
Years coached: 26.
Best coaching tip: Never quit.
Few, if any, have have given more time coaching CEGEP football in this province than Lou Chapman.
He has been a fixture on the sidelines of John Abbott football teams since 1982.
When did you play offensive guard at Abbott?
Chapman: I played in 1971, ’72 and in ’75.
What made your come back in ’75?
Chapman: Well, I took a couple of years off to get my school work in order. I had an opportunity to play again, so I took it.
You were part of the first edition of the Islanders?
Chapman: Yes. In 1971, Abbott and Macdonald College played with a combined team going by the name of Clansmen in a university league.
What were the team colours back then?
Chapman: White and green with gold helmets. Abbott went its own way in 1974 and, sadly, that meant the end of football of Macdonald College.
Did you ever coach football elsewhere?
Chapman: I coached one year of high school football in 1981 – the last year Macdonald High School had a team. There was a time when every high school on the West Island had at least three football teams. Over the years, they slowly disappeared.
What was high school football at Lindsay Place like?
Chapman: It’s been a long time. I graduated from Lindsay in 1971, but schools seemed a lot more alive back then. When the bell rang, people didn’t go home. There were sports and activities. It’s the whole notion of value added to your education by doing these type of things. What I liked about it the most was you were playing for your school.
How do football players fare academically at JAC?
Chapman: I think they’re a cross-section of the student body. I have some who are scholarship winners with marks in the 90s, and some at the other end of the spectrum.
Have you ever taken a break from coaching?
Chapman: I took a couple of years off when my daughters were born. Caitlin (20) is a swimmer at McGill and my younger daughter, Fiona, is 17 and in her first year at Abbott. She’s our team manager.