Promise Fulfilled: Chapman cousins turn high school dream into Division I reality
Whenever Mark Chapman sees his older cousin Winslow Chapman on the field playing for the same Division I football team, he has to take a step back and smile.
Mark and Winslow are starters on Central Michigan's football team. The two grew up with the same dream of playing Division I football together.
“It’s definitely a lot of fun,” Mark said. “It was something we strived for when we were younger and we always competed and pushed each other. The fact that it’s come to life now, it’s a really big blessing.”
Before Mark and Winslow became Chippewas, Mark’s oldest brother, Jarret, played for CMU as a defensive back from 2011 to 2014.
Jarret helped Winslow ease into the transition of playing Division I football in 2012 when Winslow was a freshman. Winslow became a guide for Mark when he came to Mount Pleasant in 2013.
It’s rare for three family members to end up playing for the same university and at the Division I level, but for the Chapman’s, that was always the plan.
Growing up, they enjoyed playing Xbox together and other sports besides football. It wasn’t until they reached Port Huron High School where the three made a promise to make it to the collegiate level.
“We all thought it would be awesome to play Division I football together,” Winslow said. “We didn’t know it could happen at that time. We worked hard for it and to achieve it was awesome.”
To reach their goal, they competed with each other in the weight room, on the field during practices and even at the dinner table as they tried to prepare for the next level.
Now, Jarret is coming off of a stint playing in the Canadian Football League during 2015. Mark is a starting receiver and Winslow is a starting safety for CMU this season.
Even with Jarret no longer on the team, Mark and Winslow continue to challenge and support each other.
With Winslow and Mark playing opposite sides of the ball, the two have been able to bounce questions off of each other to improve their games.
“I get so excited for him just like we did in high scool,” Winslow said. “Even when he catches passes on our defense (in practice) it’s bittersweet. I’m happy for him because he’s doing well, but then I’m like, 'Dang, he just caught that on our defense.’ But no matter what he’s doing, I’m excited for him and I want to see him do great things.”
Unlike Mark, who has started the past two seasons and has hauled in 64 passes for 887 yards and four touchdowns in his career — Winslow had to wait his turn to get on the field.
The senior safety, Winslow, didn't see much playing time at CMU as he sat behind current Dallas Cowboy safety Kavon Frazier for the past four seasons.
With Frazier now in the NFL, Winslow got his chance to show what he could do.
In his first season starting for CMU, he has recorded 21 tackles, one interception and a blocked punt for a safety.
“I’m rooting for him when he makes a big play,” Mark said. “I get more excited than when I make a big play.”
To see his cousin finally have an opportunity to make an impact is icing on the cake for Mark.
“He faced a lot of adversity his whole career, but he’s a good teammate,” he said. “The fact he finally got a shot, and he’s making plays and doing things we all knew he could do, it’s a lot of fun and I’m real happy for him.”
CMU receivers coach Mose Rison recruited both Mark and Winslow in high school and has watched the two players improve on and off the field each year.
"You're talking about two of the most outstanding student-athletes that I have ever coached when you talk about Mark and Winslow Chapman," Rison said. "The Chapman family is an outstanding family. I can't say enough good things about them. It's been a true pleasure to have an experience with the Chapman family."
After Mark and Winslow graduate, the Chapman era will come to an end at CMU, but that doesn’t mean their family name will be forgotten.
“I have to take a step back and realize it doesn’t happen a lot,” Mark said. “When we talk about the good times we’ve had these past four years, we’ve had a lot of fun. I want my teammates to remember us as hard workers, and people who genuinely cared about this program and put everything into it.”
