Chapman came to AUM prior to the 1977-78 season. In the previous two seasons, the men's basketball team had won only 26 games. In his second season, he led the team to a 20-win season.[5]
Chapman's records at AUM included eight straight seasons with an average of 25 or more wins. His teams won three straight NAIA District 27 Championships with the team.[9] He amassed a record of 679-450 at AUM,[4] ranking him fifth in career victories among NAIA coaches and among the top 40 for all collegiate coaches. Chapman had fifteen (15) 20-win seasons.[7] He has also coached two teams to the tournament quarterfinals and three into the second round. In total, Chapman-coached teams qualified for 11 NAIA National Tournaments.[7]
The 1987-88 team posted a record of 32-3 and reached the national championship game.[5] Following that season, Chapman was named the NAIA's Coach of the Year.
Chapman was inducted into the inaugural AUM Athletic Hall of Fame class in 2005.[10] He retired from AUM in 2014.[7]
In 2015, one year after retiring from AUM, Chapman became head basketball coach for Macon East Academy (MEA), a college preparatory school in Cecil, Alabama.[4][3] In his second season, the MEA team won the state championship, with a record of 33-0.[3] He retired in 2018.
In 2012, Chapman, along with his son Larry Chapman, Jr, founded the Coach Chapman Foundation, which funds AUM student athlete scholarships.[11][12]
