Sharon Chatman

Sharon Chatman
Biographical details
Born	December 15, 1947; Bakersfield, California
Died	December 2020
Alma mater	California Polytechnic State University
Playing career
1965–1968	Cal Poly
Position(s)	Point guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1968–1974	Hill HS
1974–1976	De Anza CC
1976–1986	San Jose State
Head coaching record
Overall	204-124 (college)
Tournaments	0–4
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
	NorCal Conference (1978, 1979);

Sharon Ann Chatman (December 15, 1947 – December 2020[1]) was an American former college basketball coach, a lawyer, and a judge.

Chatman was the head coach of the San Jose State Spartans women's basketball at San Jose State University for ten years during the 1970s and 1980s. Chatman subsequently change careers, graduated from law school, served as a deputy district attorney, and is currently a senior judge of the Superior Court of Santa Clara County, California.

College athletic career

Chatman attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, where she played point guard for the Cal Poly Mustangs women's basketball team from 1965 to 1969[2] and graduated with a B.S. in Physical Education. During her college playing career, she twice notched triple doubles. After graduating from Cal Poly, she became a teacher and head coach for nearly two decades. She coached at Cal Poly from 1973-74 and 1974-75.[3] Chatman coached basketball at Andrew P. Hill High School in San Jose, then at De Anza College in Cupertino. In two seasons coaching junior college women's basketball for the De Anza Dons, her teams compiled a win-loss record of 61–3.[4]

Women's basketball coach at San Jose State

Chatman led the San Jose State Spartans women's basketball program for 10 seasons from 1976 to 1986. She is the only coach in the history of the Spartans basketball team to compile a winning record; her ten-season overall win-loss record was 143-121, with a conference win-loss record of 60–54. For six consecutive seasons under Chatman, the Spartans had a winning record. They won 24 and 22 games in 1979 and 1980, respectively, and won the NorCal Conference championship both years. Chatman is the only women's basketball coach to lead the Spartans in post-season tournament play, coaching them to four consecutive AIAW tournament berths from 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981.[5]

In recognition of the achievements of her Spartans teams, she was honored as the San Jose State University Women's Basketball Coach of the Century, and she was inducted into the SJSU Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

Legal career

Chatman changed careers in 1986, retired from coaching, and attended the University of California, Hastings College of Law at the age of 38. After graduating from Hastings in 1989, she accepted a position as a deputy prosecutor in the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, where she prosecuted gang violence, sexual assault and murder cases over ten years.[6]

Judicial career

While Chatman was a prosecutor, she was recruited by Judge Eugene Hyman to accept a position as a judge. Chatman eventually became Gov. Gray Davis' first superior court appointment in Santa Clara County in 2000. During here tenure as judge, she has supervised the Superior Court's three dedicated domestic violence courts where she helped to develop many changes, including a specialized court for mentally ill domestic violence defendants and a special project for defendants with children. She presided over numerous sexual assault and murder trials and is currently assigned to the Family Law Division.[7]

Chatman served on the national faculty for the National Judicial Institute on Domestic Violence and National Institute on Fatherhood, Visitation and Domestic Violence. She made frequent presentations and appearances at schools and community groups, and was the inspiration for the 2005 founding Building Peaceful Families (BPF), a nonprofit entity whose mission is to foster the health and safety of children through better parenting.[7]

Chatman presided over the trial of Robert Roy Farmer, who pled guilty to killing 21 cats and sexually abusing a dead cat. The high-profile trial went from 2015 to 2017; Chatman sentenced Farmer to 16 years in jail.[8]

Awards and honors

She was the recipient of numerous community service awards, including the Santa Clara County Bar Association's Unsung Hero Award; the NAACP Social Justice Award; the Commission on the Status of Women - Woman of Vision Award; the California Judges Association – Alba Witkins Humanitarian Award for outstanding service to the community; 10 Most Influential African Americans in the Bay Area; and California Probation Officers Chief's Association Judicial Officer of the Year.[7]

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing
San Jose State Spartans (NorCal Conference) (1976–1982)
1976–77	San Jose State	10–10	4–7	4th
1977–78	San Jose State	17–10	12–0	1st
1978–79	San Jose State	24–4	12–0	1st
1979–80	San Jose State	22–9	9–3	2nd
1980–81	San Jose State	14–13	8–4	2nd
1981–82	San Jose State	15–12	7–5	3rd
San Jose State Spartans (NorPac Conference) (1982–1986)
1982–83	San Jose State	17–9	8–6	5th
1983–84	San Jose State	9–17	5–9	6th
1984–85	San Jose State	9–17	3–9	7th
1985–86	San Jose State	6–20	1–11	7th
San Jose State:		143–121	64–54
Total:		143–121
National champion Postseason invitational champion Conference regular season champion Conference regular season and conference tournament champion Division regular season champion Division regular season and conference tournament champion Conference tournament champion

References

Reese, Madelyn (2021-01-02). "Sharon Chatman, Santa Clara County judge, remembered as friend and leader". San José Spotlight. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
"Cal Poly Alumna Chatman Remembered as Friend, Leader". Cal Poly. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
"Cal Poly Alumna Chatman Remembered as Friend, Leader". Cal Poly. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
De Anza College, "Women's Basketball at De Anza College: 1974–Present." Retrieved October 28, 2015.
San Jose State University 2014-15 Women's Basketball Media Guide, San Jose State University, San Jose, California, pp. 82–83 (2014).
Justin M. Norton, "Judicial Profile: Sharon Chatman; Unlikely Road To The Bench For Ex-Basketball Coach," The Recorder (December 28, 2004). Retrieved October 27, 2015.
County of Santa Clara, Office of Women's Policy, Sharon Chatman. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
Baum, Julia (2017-07-15). "San Jose: Judge hands cat killer 16-year sentence". The Mercury News. Bay Area News Group. Archived from the original on 2017-08-11. Retrieved 2017-08-10.

External links

Sharon A. Chatman at Ballotpedia

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] Reese, Madelyn (2021-01-02). "Sharon Chatman, Santa Clara County judge, remembered as friend and leader". San José Spotlight. Retrieved 2021-02-03.

[2] "Cal Poly Alumna Chatman Remembered as Friend, Leader". Cal Poly. Retrieved 2021-02-03.

[3] "Cal Poly Alumna Chatman Remembered as Friend, Leader". Cal Poly. Retrieved 2021-02-03.

[4] De Anza College, "Women's Basketball at De Anza College: 1974–Present." Retrieved October 28, 2015.

[sjsumediaguide-5] San Jose State University 2014-15 Women's Basketball Media Guide, San Jose State University, San Jose, California, pp. 82–83 (2014).

[norton12282004-6] Justin M. Norton, "Judicial Profile: Sharon Chatman; Unlikely Road To The Bench For Ex-Basketball Coach," The Recorder (December 28, 2004). Retrieved October 27, 2015.

[sccprofile-7] County of Santa Clara, Office of Women's Policy, Sharon Chatman. Retrieved October 28, 2015.

[8] Baum, Julia (2017-07-15). "San Jose: Judge hands cat killer 16-year sentence". The Mercury News. Bay Area News Group. Archived from the original on 2017-08-11. Retrieved 2017-08-10.