George Hutton (Dark Star) Chapple

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Chapple, George Hutton (Dark Star) Age 66, Minnetonka, died at his home on June 1. George was born in Middletown, Ohio on April 20, 1946. This turned him into a sports fan early in life as he watched heroics of basketball great Jerry Lucas. George later moved to Long Island and told tales of subway trips to the Polo Grounds, Yankee Stadium and Madison Square Garden. George had a short run in college and enlisted in U.S. Army. He served in Viet Nam. After the Army, he spent time working in Washington, D.C. area, then moved to Los Angeles and worked at the Bel Air Country Club. His father DeWitt was an executive with Gelco Leasing in the Twin Cities and George moved here in 1979 to work for the company. George's favorite horse was Dark Star, upset winner of the 1953 Kentucky Derby. In December 1985, he called a local sports radio show, identified himself as the mysterious "Dark Star,'' and offered a scoop that Bud Grant would be resigning as the Vikings coach. When this proved correct, Dark Star was lauded loudly on the station. George took those 15 minutes and turned them into a career. Soon, he was handicapping Canterbury Downs races for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, hosting "The Canterbury Report with Dark Star'' on TV and appearing regularly on "Sports Night'' on WCCO-AM. In January 1991, he took over the midnight to 3 a.m. shift on WCCO-AM and Dark Star the radio star was officially launched. He spent two decades hosting daily shows at the station, before leaving in 2010. He worked part-time at KFAN until his death. George was a co-founder with Mike Max of "The Sports Show,'' a long-running local TV show. He was an avid golfer and member at Interlachen and Hillcrest clubs. George was preceded in death by his beloved parents, DeWitt and Phyllis. He is survived by hundreds of close friends, thousands of loyal radio listeners and countless members of the service industry that he inevitably over-tipped. Canterbury Park will hold a celebration of Dark Star's life Saturday (June 9) at 10 a.m. at the Shakopee track. Memorials are preferred to Siebert Field Legacy Campaign (address: Golden Gopher Fund, c/o Randy Handel, 516 15th Ave. SE, Minneapolis MN 55455; include memo that donation is for Siebert Field in memory of Dark Star).

Published on June 8, 2012