This year’s Marshall Hall of Fame class includes one nominee who will not be able to make the ceremony. On Sept. 23, 75-year-old George Chaump will be 7 hours away. He will be busy coaching his Central Dauphin East High School team in a game that will hopefully add to his more than 180 career wins as a Pennsylvania high school head football coach.
“I’m still coaching and winning, to the point where I just can’t retire,” said Chaump. “It’s just love for the game, I enjoy it.”
Chaump is the first year coach at Harrisonburg, Pennsylvania, after years of high school coaching and stints at Navy and Marshall.
“I’ve been coaching 50 years, Marshall’s different. You have a situation and circumstance,” said Chaump. “They were so desperate because they hadn’t won in so long, before I got there.”
Chaump is honored by his election to the Hall of Fame. He speaks fondly of his time at Marshall and the people and experiences he had there. He said people he met at Marshall became some of his best friends.
“My family, we always talk about Marshall and West Virginia,” said Chaump. “My first year I think we went 6-4. And then second year we went all the way to the national championship so they never expected that, that was impossible, unheard-of.”
Chaump says one of his proudest and most memorable moments was the national championship march and the team that he coached there.
“We just caught fire,” said Chaump. “They didn’t think anybody could beat them and they went right to the finals, we had some of the greatest players I’ve ever been involved with there, and better games, exciting games.”
He said the community’s response and overall atmosphere toward Marshall football was one of the best things about coaching and the national championship.
“It was very unusual, very, very unusual. What made it unusual was the response by the native fans and Marshall, the school and how they reacted. It was just an overwhelming experience,” said Chaump.
Chaump went 33-16-1 at Marshall. He coached the Herd to their first No. 1 regular season national football ranking, their first Southern Conference Championship, and their season with the most wins until that record was broken in 1992.
“It made a mark in my career,” said Chaump. “I’m very proud to have coached there.”
Chaump does not plan on retiring from the gridiron anytime soon. He said the impact coaches can make on players is important.
“There’s a self satisfaction, a good feeling, that you feel that you are doing something worthwhile for somebody, because they want to do it. They like to do it, and you can help them along in their life,” said Chaump, “I’ve enjoyed coaching.”