Gil Chapman Gil Chapman ( born August 23 , 1953 ) is a former American football player , politician and businessman . Chapman became one of the leading scorers in the history of New Jersey high school football while playing for Thomas Jefferson High School from 1968 to 1970 . In 1970 , he was picked by " Parade " magazine as the " Number 1 Player in America . " He has also been selected as one of New Jersey ' s top ten offensive football players of the 20th Century . From 1972 to 1974 , he played college football for the University of Michigan under head coach Bo Schembechler . During his three years at Michigan , he scored 18 touchdowns and gained over 2 , 500 total yards , including 1 , 090 return yards , 919 rushing yards and 517 rushing yards . At the conclusion of his career , he held Michigan ' s all - time records for career kickoff return yardage ( 640 ) and single - game kickoff return yardage ( 125 against Illinois in 1972 ) . Chapman played professional football for the New Orleans Saints during the 1975 NFL season . As a rookie , he ranked fifth in the NFL with 12 . 2 yards per punt return and tenth with 804 total return yards . After retiring from football , Chapman served from 1978 to 1983 on the City Council in Elizabeth , New Jersey , the first African - American to hold any elected office in the city . He worked in management and sales for the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority from 1979 to 1984 , including several years as the operations manager of Giants Stadium . From 1986 to 2009 , he owned and operated a Ford Motor Company dealership on Staten Island , New York . Early years . Chapman was born in Elizabeth , New Jersey , and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1971 . Chapman was one of the most highly - rated high school running backs during the 1969 and 1970 seasons . As a junior in 1969 , he was the leading scorer in the State of New Jersey with 179 points . In November 1969 , he ran for four touchdowns and two 2 - point conversions in a single game . As a senior in October 1970 , he scored five touchdowns in another game , increasing his career scoring total to 462 points . " The New York Times " once joked that " Gil Chapman , New Jersey ' s leading scorer , had an ' off ' day with only two touchdowns and 6 extra points . " During his high school career , Chapman totaled 514 career points and rushed for 3 , 200 yards in his junior and senior years . In 1970 , " Parade " magazine selected Chapman as the " Number 1 Player in America . " University of Michigan . Chapman enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1971 on a football scholarship . He played as a running back and return specialist for Bo Schembechler ' s Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1972 to 1974 . 1972 season . As a sophomore , Chapman played at the split end position , starting five games , for the 1972 team that finished the season 10 - 1 and ranked No . 6 in the final AP and UPI polls . He also handled punt and kickoff returns for the 1972 team , returning 20 punts for 180 yards and 8 kickoffs for 276 yards . In the third game of the 1972 season against Tulane , Chapman scored his first touchdown for Michigan on a 49 - yard punt return up the middle of the field . On October 14 , 1972 , Chapman had his career - long run from scrimmage against Michigan State . With nine minutes left in the game , Michigan led , 3 - 0 . Playing in front of the second largest crowd in Michigan Stadium history to that time , Chapman took the ball on a reverse and raced 58 yards down the left side for Michigan ' s only touchdown . Against Illinois in late October 1972 , Chapman also set a school record with 125 yards on two kickoff returns , including a 73 - yard return for a touchdown . Chapman finished the 1972 season with 149 rushing yards and a team - high 5 . 7 yards per carry . He also had 125 receiving yards and 456 return yards in 1972 . 1973 season . As a junior , Chapman handled punt and kickoff returns and played tailback for Michigan ' s undefeated 1973 team that finished with a 10 - 0 - 1 record and ranked No . 6 in the final AP and UPI polls . In October 1973 , Chapman tied Michigan ' s all - time record with an 83 - yard punt return against Oregon . One week after his 83 - yard return against Oregon , Chapman rushed for a career - high 117 yards on 20 carries against Michigan State . The highlight of the game was Chapman ' s 53 - yard end run for a touchdown . For the second straight year , Chapman led the Wolverines in return yards . He totaled 133 yards on 6 kickoffs and 179 yards on 13 punts . Chapman was also the third leading rusher for the 1972 team with 542 yards and 6 touchdowns on 111 carries . Although fullback Ed Shuttlesworth was the rushing leader with 745 yards on 193 carries , Chapman ' s average of 4 . 9 yards per carry was a yard higher than Shuttlesworth ' s average of 3 . 9 yards per carry . 1974 season . As a senior , Chapman again handled punt and kickoff returns and started all 11 games at fullback for the 1974 team that finished 10 - 1 and was ranked No . 3 in the final AP poll . Chapman ' s move to fullback made room for Gordon Bell ( 1 , 048 rushing yards in 1974 ) and Rob Lytle ( 802 rushing yards in 1974 ) to take over at the tailback position . Chapman scored two rushing touchdowns for the only time in his career in a 49 - 0 win over Minnesota on October 26 , 1974 . Chapman ' s final game for Michigan was a 12 - 10 loss to Ohio State at the end of the 1974 season . In the first quarter , Chapman set up Michigan ' s first score with a 42 - yard reception from Dennis Franklin that led to a 37 - yard field goal by Mike Lantry . Chapman also ran for a touchdown in the first quarter to give Michigan a 10 - 0 lead . Ohio State responded with four field goals , and a last - minute field goal attempt by Michigan ' s Mike Lantry went wide . During the 1974 season , Chapman was Michigan ' s leader in return yards for the third straight year , accumulating 322 return yards on 12 kickoffs and 12 punts . He was also the team ' s leading pass receiver with 23 catches . His total of 378 receiving yards ranked second on the team behind Jim Smith ' s 392 yards . Chapman also had 228 rushing yards on 41 attempts for an average of 5 . 6 yards per carry . Career statistics . During his three years playing for Michigan , Chapman scored 18 touchdowns and gained over 2 , 500 yards for the Wolverines . He accumulated 1 , 090 return yards ( 640 on 26 kickoffs and 450 on 45 punts ) , 919 rushing yards and on 178 carries for an average of 5 . 2 yards per carry , and 517 receiving yards . At the conclusion of his playing career at Michigan , Chapman held Michigan ' s all - time records for career kickoff return yardage ( 640 ) and single - game kickoff return yardage ( 125 against Illinois in 1972 ) . His career record was broken in 1981 by Anthony Carter , and his single - game record was broken in 1990 by Desmond Howard . New Orleans Saints . Chapman was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the 7th round ( 166th overall pick ) of the 1975 NFL Draft . He played as a punt and kickoff return specialist for the Saints during the 1975 NFL season . He returned 17 punts for 207 yards and 28 kickoffs for 614 yards . His average of 12 . 2 yards per punt return ranked fifth in the NFL during the 1975 season . His total of 804 return yards ranked 10th in the NFL . Chapman sustained a knee injury in late November 1975 and was placed on the injured reserve list in December . He was released by the Saints in July 1976 . Later years and honors . After retiring from football , Chapman returned to New Jersey . In 1978 , he was elected to the City of Elizabeth City Council , becoming the first African - American to hold any elected position in the city . He served on the City Council through 1983 . From 1979 to 1985 , Chapman worked in management and sales for the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority , the organization responsible for Giants Stadium , Continental Airlines Arena and Meadowlands Racetrack . He was the operations manager for Giants Stadium from 1981 to 1984 . In 1986 , Chapman became an owner and president of Island Ford , Inc . , a Ford Motor Company automobile dealership located on Staten Island , New York . Chapman retired from the dealership in 2009 . Chapman also served on the board of directors of Northfield Bancorp from at least 2006 to 2009 . In 1999 , " The Star - Ledger " selected him as one of New Jersey ' s 10 best offensive players of the 20th Century . In 2008 , Chapman became one of the inaugural inductees into the City of Elizabeth Athletic Hall of Fame . At that time , Chapman was residing in Westfield , New Jersey with his wife Idalene and their two children .