Sam Chapman

The Greenville, South Carolina native first became involved in Karate in 1962 while in the Marine Corps. After four years of service, he was honorably discharged and began taking his training much more seriously, resulting in his promotion to Black Belt in just eighteen months.

As a competitor, Sam began to experience success in 1972 when he won the Spartanburg Open, repeating the feat in 1973. From 1973 to 1976, Sam placed in virtually every tournament in the South while gaining a reputation as a phenomenal, albeit rough, technician. In 1974, Sam was ranked as the Southeast Karate Association’s number one ranked middle-weight Black Belt, an honor he would receive again in 1975. Sam continued to fight in both tournament and full-contact karate until his retirement from the ring in 1976.