Chappell is a native of Boonville, NC where he attended Starmount High School and was a member of the wrestling, cross country, and track teams. After graduating from Starmount in 1981, Chappell went to Catawba College and was the starting wrestler at 118 pounds for Hall-of-Fame coach Frank "Dutch" Meyer.  Graduating in 1984 with a degree in Special Education, Chappell then began a still-active 38-year career in education and coaching.  From 1984 until 1989, Chappell taught and coached in middle school before moving into head coaching positions at High Point Central (1989-95), Ragsdale (1995-2010), and Ledford (2012-present) High Schools.  His teams won state tournament championships in 1994, 1997, and 2005 along with state dual championships in 1994 and 2004. His teams also finished as state runner-up two times, captured seven regional tournament championships, and were regional tournament runner-up seven times. Chappell has coached 14 individual wrestlers to 20 state individual championships including a four-time state champion, three-time state champion, and two-time state champion. He’s also coached 31 state tournament placers and has career record of 441-159.  Chappell was recognized as the Mat News Coach of the Year in 1994 and 2004 and the National High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year for North Carolina in 2005.  Described by his wrestlers as a father figure with a huge passion for wrestling, Chappell retired from the classroom in 2016 after 32 years of teaching Special Education. He currently teaches drivers education and is the head wrestling coach at Ledford High School in Davidson County.