Wabash College Athletics

A long-time coach and teacher of social studies and English in Lafayette, Lloyd P. "Bill" Chase was involved in athletics his entire life. A native of Lafayette, Chase came to Wabash in· the fall of 1928 as an outstanding football, basketball, and track man at Montmorenci High School. A member of Montmorenci 's state runner-up team as a prep athlete, Chase later came to Wabash to continue his athletic career. A three-year starter in basketball, Chase played for Coach Pete Vaughan on teams that accumulated a record of 18-27 against such powers as Notre Dame, Purdue, and Indiana. Baseball, though, was Chase's first love. Bill made the starting nine for three straight years during the late twenties and early thirties on some fine Wabash teams. He captained the team as a senior when the team went 9-3 for the year. Chase's big moment came against Ball State when he scored from second base on a double squeeze for a 2-1 Little Giant victory. A member of Blue Key and Sphinx Club, and the president of the "W" Men's Club, Chase graduated to a semi­professional career in baseball with the St. Louis Cardinal Farm Clubs in Springfield, Missouri, and Keokuk, Iowa. Teaching kept him from traveling with the Chicago Cubs as a batting practice pitcher, but he did play for the Lafayette Red Sox for ten seasons. He also played semi-pro ball with teams from Indianapolis, Muncie, and Anderson. While playing his beloved sport of baseball, Chase also taught and coached high school in Crawfordsville and Lafayette for 43 years.