Clayton W. Chapman was a terrific oarsman at Cornell University, rowing in the No.6 seat throughout his varsity career. He was commodore of the undefeated all-senior 1957 crew that won the Grand Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta after a third straight IRA title and a second straight Eastern Sprint championship.
Upon graduation he coached Cornell's freshman heavyweight crew from 1962-70 and his '62 frosh crew won Eastern and IRA titles. From 1969-71 he was assistant director of athletics at Cornell, and became the first secretary of the Ivy League.
Chapman joined the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) as assistant commissioner in 1971, and became associate commissioner in 1980. He was appointed the ECAC’s fourth Commissioner in 1989, following Asa S. Bushnell, George Shiebler and Scotty Whitelaw. During his tenure, he provided a 30-year stewardship of the Eastern Sprints and IRA Championship Regattas, before retiring in 1998. Chapman was also a member of the NCAA Special Committee on Deregulation and Rules Simplification, and was a member of the NCAA Constitution and Bylaws Committee, helping to revise the NCAA rules manual.
In 1999, Chapman was honored with the ECAC James Lynah Distinguished Achievement Award for his tremendous contributions to collegiate athletics and his illustrious career in serving the ECAC. The Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) has since named a trophy after him, titled the “Clayton W. Chapman Trophy,” presented annually to the most improved program at the IRA Championships.