“Few people seize the opportunity to fulfill their dreams. Chip always wanted to teach and coach and has done so with energy and impact that not all educators are able to achieve.” So wrote Gerald “Chip” Sorber’s nominator. It is an apt description for the Class of 1984 graduate.
Chip was an outstanding athlete in high school, earning letters in varsity football, basketball and track. However, it is his post high school career as a coach that gained him recognition for the Hall of Fame.
Following high school, Chip served in the U.S. Navy from1984-1988, which he credits as having a huge influence on his life.
His football coaching career began in 1991 at Chardon Middle School. He continued at Madison High before becoming head coach at Middlefield Cardinal High School from 1996-99. He held various other coaching positions at Geneva and Chardon before being named head coach at Geneva in 2015-2021.
During Chip’s tenure as head coach at Geneva, he accumulated an impressive record. In 2017 he was named Assistant Coach, News Herald All-Star Game Senior Bowl. He led his team to the only playoff games in the history of the school. In 2019 he was named Northeast Lakes District Division 3 Coach of the Year. And in both 2019 and 2020 he was Ashtabula County Touchdown Club Coach of the Year. This year, Chip has returned to his alma mater, bringing his coaching talents to mentor the RHS defensive secondary and the running backs.
Chip has also coached additional sports beyond football. He coached girls’ basketball and track at several schools and Lake Erie Defenders organization AAU girls’ basketball from 2014-2020. He is now the assistant track coach at Madison High School. He has frequently been a guest speaker at several football clinics over the years and has done presentations for Glazier Clinics. He is published in “X and O”, a leading online coaching resource.
Being 22- year veteran history teacher at Geneva Middle School (with 29 teaching years total), Chip has had the opportunity to guide students, as well as athletes, in their relationships with others. He has stressed to students the importance of learning responsibility and accountability while being positive contributors to their communities. He can count 25 (probably more) former students who have made teaching their career, due to his influence.
Chip is married to Chrissy and they have three children. Son Tate is a 5- year veteran of the USAF and now is in his second year of college. Their daughters are Leah and Sydney. They make their home in Madison, Ohio.
