PORT ANGELES — The longtime voice of Port Angeles sports is now a hall of famer.
Howard “Scooter” Chapman was named one of 11 new inductees into the WIAA Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
Chapman was selected as a “contributor” for nearly six decades of work covering Port Angeles High School athletics and umpiring baseball and softball games on the North Olympic Peninsula.
He will be inducted Wednesday, May 11, in a special ceremony at the Spirit of Washington Events Center in Renton.
“I’m looking forward to it,” said Chapman, now 76 years old. “It’s a humbling experience.
“There’s not many broadcasters or umpires in the [WIAA] Hall of Fame. There’s not many writers, mostly high school people, so I feel quite honored and humbled at that.”
Chapman first began a career in broadcasting with KONP radio as teenager in 1951, working as a stat keeper and spotter.
He graduated a year later from Roosevelt High School and attended the University of Washington for three quarters before “running out of money.”
Upon returning to Port Angeles, he married his sweetheart, Loretta, and continued his work with KONP on a part-time basis.
Chapman would eventually be drafted into the U.S. Army in 1957, spending two years as a broadcast specialist at Fifth Army Headquarters in Chicago.
In his last year of service, he was the producer/director of the U.S. Army Television Hometown Newscenter team from Fifth Army.
Starting in 1961, he served dual roles as sports editor of the Port Angeles Evening News (predecessor to the Peninsula Daily News) and radio sports director for KONP.
He can recall several occasions during his career when he wrote stories for the next day’s paper as he was calling games over the air waves.
“It’s been a fun time,” Chapman said. “I enjoyed being here and I’m still here, doing the same thing.
“Working in the radio and working with kids and covering the high school and stuff keeps me young, keeps me going, keeps me on the straight and narrow.”
Chapman left the PDN in 1988 and became a full-time employee with KONP.
Throughout his years covering Port Angeles, Chapman has only missed four football games. Three came after triple-bypass surgeries, in which he was back for basketball season that year.
“They should give this guy the key to the city of Port Angeles for what he’s done for student-athletes in this community,” said former Port Angeles boys basketball player and head coach Lee Sinnes.
“The support he gave to us as coaches and players who went on to find recognition beyond high school was instrumental.
“You could put everybody you can think of together and they didn’t have the impact that he had helping student-athletes.”
Chapman also served as the assigning secretary for the Western Peninsula Umpires for 30 years.
During that time he’s called several state games and countless contests on the Peninsula.
He stepped down as assigning secretary last season, but still umpires games to this day.
In fact, he’ll be one of the men in blue at today’s Port Angeles-Sequim softball showdown.
“I’m having a great spring,” Chapman said. “I’m just enjoying being a plain, old umpire.”
For tickets to the Hall of Fame luncheon, contact Andy Barnes, WIAA assistant executive director, at 425-282-5237.
