KANSAS CITY, Mo. ---- Auburn University at Montgomery men's basketball head coach Larry Chapman currently ranks fifth among all active NAIA coaches in career wins, the national office announced earlier this month.
Chapman, who is in his 35th season at the helm of the Warhawks and his 37th season coaching at the college level, has posted a 687-448 record and sports a career winning percentage of .605. He is currently one of nine active NAIA coaches with more than 600 victories.
During Chapman's tenure as head coach, AUM has made 11 NAIA National Tournament appearances. In addition to appearing in the championship game in 1988, he has also coached two teams to the tournament's quarterfinals and three into the second round.
Throughout his 34 years of coaching at AUM, Chapman has recorded 15 20-win seasons and at least 19 wins in 23 seasons. His teams have suffered just four losing seasons. With Chapman at the helm, AUM has won championships in the Southern States Athletic Conference, the Georgia-Alabama-Carolina Conference, the Southeast Independent Region and NAIA District 27.
In addition to team success, 17 players have earned All-America honors under Chapman's leadership, including Joseph Manuel, who was a two-time second-team and two-time honorable mention All-American during his four years. Most recently, Nathan Thomas garnered honorable mention All-American honors during the 2009-10 season.
Also under his guidance, two former Warhawks have gone on to play in the National Basketball Association, as Graham and Etdrick Bohannon each played several seasons in the league that is the benchmark for professional basketball.
From the 1981-82 season through the 1988-89 season, AUM averaged over 25 wins a season and became the first school in 17 years to win three straight championships in the highly competitive NAIA District 27.
His 1987-88 team set the benchmark for AUM teams of the future, as his squad finished 32-3 and made an incredible run through the tournament field to reach the championship game. AUM, led by NAIA Player of the Year Orlando Graham, faced Grand Canyon College in the title game, falling in overtime on a last-second shot. Chapman was named the NAIA's Coach of the Year following the season.
Oregon Tech's Dan Miles tops the active list in wins with 937, a mark which trails only Harry Statham of McKendree (Ill.) among four-year college coaches. Statham has recorded 1,043 victories.
