Both coach and teacher at Deshler High School in Tuscumbia, Alabama from 1934 to 1942, Coach Chappell enlisted in the United States Navy during WWII. He returned to Deshler High School and coached from 1948 to 1959. He was a 1934 graduate of the University of Alabama lettering in both football and track. He was inducted into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.  Coach Chappell was instrumental in organizing the Tri-Cities Quarterback Club and the Tennesse Valley Athletic Conference.

Deshler High School's current football stadium is named in his honor.