By Mike McGraw
Executive Director
Itâ??s been said that highly successful athletes more often than not
go on to be equally successful in their other endeavors. After all, it
is the foundation of sport that the lessons learned through competition
and hard work carry over throughout an individualâ??s life. It only makes
sense, then, that those who learn those lessons the best also will
apply them the best.
There are few better examples of this principle than Rudy Chapa.
Chapa holds what has become perhaps the most hallowed of records in
Indiana high school sports: His 4:05.8 Mile Run in the 1976 state
finals is the longest-standing record in Indiana track & field. His
name is spoken with the respectful tones reserved for athletes that
only come along once in a VERY great while.
What is not as commonly known is that Chapa was part of one of the
great athletic teams in Indiana history, and that his post-athletic
life has been a testament to the benefits of preparation and hard work.
Rudy Chapa was raised in the self-described rough part of Hammond.
In 1972, he entered his freshman year at Hammond High, where he became
teammates with two other Hammond youngsters, Carey Pinkowski and Tom
Keough. Together, these three would accomplish feats never seen before
or since.
Pinkowski and Keough were a year older, and during that first
season together, the three would, with the aid of coach Dan Candiano,
learn the value of pushing one another to maximum performance. There
were glimpses of greatness, but the real fireworks began Chapaâ??s
sophomore season. In both 1974 and 1975, Hammond swept the distance
events at the state finals. Oddly enough, it was Pinkowski who won the
Mile Run in those years, with Chapa capturing the Two Mile. (This
occurred because at that time, an individual athlete could not â??doubleâ?
in the meet.) Candiano chose to run Rudy in the Two Mile to ensure his
team would win both events.
Those state championships, however, pale in comparison with the
milestone reached by Chapa, Pinkowski, and Keough during the â??75
season. In that year, all three young men ran the Two Mile in under
nine minutes. To the best of anyoneâ??s knowledge, it is the only time
EVER that feat has been accomplished at the high school level.
(Indiana, in fact, has never had another school with even two
runners breaking that barrier in the same year.) In addition, this trio
of fantastic runners finished first, second, and fifth in the previous
cross country seasonâ??s state finals.
Yet despite all of these heroics, Hammond never won a team title in track & field or cross country during Chapaâ??s career.
Following graduation, Chapa headed to the mecca of college track
& field of that generation, the University of Oregon. Not
surprisingly, his career there was no less storied than his high school
days. He set an American record in the 3000 meters, won an NCAA
championship in the 5000, and was a major contributor to Oregonâ??s NCAA
team title in 1977.
But the ultimate glory for a runner â??? the Olympics â??? eluded Chapa.
He was injured in 1980 and could not have competed even had there been
no American boycott of the Moscow Games.
After college, Chapa returned to Indiana, attending the Indiana
University School of Law and graduating in 1985. During those years, he
competed in his only marathon â??? and in typical Chapa fashion, it was
spectacular. Rudy ran the New York Marathon in 2 hours, 11 minutes.
The West Coast beckoned, and Rudy returned to Oregon to begin his
professional career. It started at IMG â??? yes, that IMG, the worldâ??s
largest entity in the representation of athletes. He quickly rose to
the level of vice president but left in 1987 to take over operations of
a small furniture company. His name, though, would soon return to the
forefront.
In 1992, Chapa joined Nike. His tenure there would last nearly 10
years and see him rise to the position of vice president of global
marketing. (In laymanâ??s terms, thatâ??s way up there, folks.) He left Nike in 2001 to begin a small investment company with his wife.
Chapa is the father of five children, and two of them have had
distinguished running careers. His son Joaquin is a junior at Stanford
and a member of the Cardinalâ??s esteemed track program. Daughter
Annaliese, who will be a freshman at the University of Washington, is
rated among the nationâ??s top 10 females in both the 800 and 1600
meters.
Oregon has been home to Rudy Chapa for 20 years.
HoosierAuthority.com asked him to recall his thoughts on his Hoosier
roots and the glory days of his youth.
â??I remember my days with Carey and Tom fondly,â? Chapa said. â??It was
a magical time, and we accomplished some things that nobody else has
been able to do. Mostly, though, I look back with pride that I was able
to represent the Calumet region in a positive manner.
â??I am proud to have grown up there.â?
â??The Region,â? and all of Indiana, is very proud to call Rudy Chapa a Hoosier.
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