Bio

One of the original 10 faculty members on staff when Orange County Community College was founded in 1950, Chris Chachis organized the College’s first intercollegiate team (cross country) within weeks of the College’s opening and is recognized as the founder of SUNY Orange’s athletic program.

During his 17-year tenure as athletic director, he coached, at one time or another, every SUNY Orange sport except golf. However, it was on the soccer field where Chachis shone brightest. From the time he started the first Colts soccer team in 1951, his squads posted a remarkable .716 winning percentage behind a record of 104-37-14.

His teams reached the national junior college championship game in five successive years, winning three straight titles in 1958, 1959, and 1960 before finishing as runners-up in 1961 and 1962.

Chachis led the campaign to establish the All-American recognition program for junior college players. In 1967, he was inducted into the Helms Foundation Hall of Fame for College Directors of Athletics. The SUNY Orange male “Athlete of the Year” award bears his name. He was the City of Middletown’s “Sportsman of the Year” in 1967 and was credited with building the popularity of soccer in southern New York.

The SUNY Orange soccer field was dedicated in his honor on Sept. 23, 1984.