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George Chandlee

Hall of Fame

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Inducted 1977

College

Yale University

Chandlee was born in Baltimore in 1914 and was a graduate of the Calvert School in 1926 and of the Gilman School in 1932. Chandlee played for four years at Gilman and was captain and midfielder on Gilman's first varsity lacrosse team in 1932. He played attack for the Yale freshman team and for the varsity team for three years, graduating from Yale in 1936. 

Teaching in the lower school at Gilman from 1936 to 1940, he coached lacrosse at the fifth and sixth grade level and also the junior varsity team. At this time he started training as an official with the Southern Lacrosse Official's Association. Moving to Cooperstown, New York in 1940, he officiated lacrosse games in central New York. 

He served in the Army of the United States from 1942-1946, attaining the rank of staff sergeant. In 1946 he returned to Gilman as an instructor of mathematics and assistant lacrosse coach. In 1947 he succeeded Ferris Thomsen as Gilman's lacrosse coach and held this position for 23 years. His 1947 team won the Maryland Scholastic Association Championship for the first time in the school's history. His success as a coach spans from 1947 to 1970, during which time he led Gilman to a 172-42-3 record, with additional championships in 1948, 1949, 1950, and 1956. He had 38 players receive All-American recognition. 

Over the years he was active in the United States Larosse Association and served on its executive committee as a high school representative. He was vice president of the organization and was its president for two years, 1965 and 1966. A long time interest in the Lacrosse Foundation and Hall of Fame was culminated by his election as president in 1976 and 1977. He was its first executive secretary. Prior to 1976 he had been a member of the board of directors. In 1977, he was the recipient of the USILA's service award. Chandlee was also a consultant for books on lacrosse authored by Heberton Evans and Robert Scott. He was selected as High School Coach of the Year in 1970 by Hero's Incorporated. 

George Chandlee passed away in 1994.