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Longtime Little 500 starter Chap Blackwell passing the flags to next generation

By Kirk Johannesen

April 21, 2025

Chap Blackwell waves the green flag to start the 34th Women's Little 500 at Bill Armstrong Stadium on April 22, 2022. Photo by James Bros... Chap Blackwell waves the green flag to start the 34th Women's Little 500 at Bill Armstrong Stadium on April 22, 2022. Photo by James Brosher, Indiana University

When Chapman “Chap” Blackwell IV waves the checkered flag at the finish of this year’s men’s Little 500, it will signal more than the conclusion of the iconic bicycle race at Bill Armstrong Stadium. Blackwell’s role as the longtime starter of the women’s and men’s races, as well as decades of volunteering, will also end.

This will be Blackwell’s 30th time as starter for the women’s race, at 4 p.m. April 25, and his 25th for the men’s race, at 2 p.m. April 26.

However, his association with Little 500 touches parts of six decades. It stretches back to when he was an Indiana University Bloomington student serving on the Steering Committee of the IU Student Foundation, the student arm of the IU Foundation that plans the annual Little 500. The race also has been a family affair involving multiple generations.

“Little 5 has been such a tradition in our family, and I’m grateful I got to be a part of it,” Blackwell said. “We have so many wonderful memories.”

Lifelong passion

The first Little 500 he recalled attending was in 1965, when he was 8 years old.

“I remember the first one and the way the university worked with contributors. It was very cool. Going to the Frangipani Room for brunch. Just how they took care of us,” said Blackwell, who was born and raised in Columbus, Indiana, but now lives in Florida.

By then his family already had a strong involvement with the race.

Blackwell’s grandfather, F. McKinley “Mac” Blough, worked for Standard Oil and was the first corporate sponsor of Little 500. The sponsorship was sought by Howdy Wilcox Jr., the former IU Foundation president who started the IU Student Foundation and knew Blough.

Blackwell’s father, Chapman “Chappie” Blackwell III, rode for the Sigma Alpha Epsilon team that finished second in the first Little 500. He also rode for SAE in the 1953 race, finishing third.

Chappie Blackwell later became the starter for the men’s race. The starter waves all the flags to reflect the current race conditions — such as green for racing, yellow for caution or white for the final lap — and ensures penalties are served.

Chap Blackwell’s own involvement with Little 500 started as an IU undergraduate. During the 1978-79 academic year, he served on the IU Student Foundation Steering Committee, helping with its telefund fundraiser and doing public relations and communications for the race. What made that experience a bit more special was the filming of the movie “Breaking Away” on campus and in Bloomington. The Little 500 race scene for the movie was filmed during the fall semester of 1978.

After graduation, Blackwell’s career took him away from the race for a few years. Eventually he returned as a judge, directing lapped traffic, looking for accidents and monitoring team exchanges to make sure they are legal and that teams complete the minimum number.

Chap Blackwell Little 500

Open gallery

Chap Blackwell IV waves the green flag to start the Women's Little 500 at Bill Armstrong Stadium on April 20, 2018. Photo by James Broshe...
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In 1990, Chap Blackwell became the men’s assistant starter for his father. The assistant communicates with the chief steward and judges regarding track conditions to make sure the starter has the proper flag for signaling race conditions.

Working Little 500 together was another way for Blackwell and his father to share their love of racing.

“My dad and I loved race cars, and we were scoring and timing people for United States Auto Club races in the Midwest and also Indy 500s. We loved racing,” Blackwell said. “That’s part of what we loved about Little 500: It was another great racing event.”

In 1996, Chap Blackwell added the role of women’s race starter to his duties.

Emily Carrico, interim director of the IU Student Foundation, met Blackwell when she was a rider from 2016 to 2019, and he explained the flags before the race.

“Chap has been a fantastic steward of the Little 500 and having him show up every single year for the past 30 years has been wonderful,” she said. “You can always rely on him to bring enthusiasm and bring energy when the race gets going.”

Following his father’s retirement in 2000, Chap Blackwell became the men’s starter in 2001.

IU Foundation President Emeritus Curt Simic said the decision was a no-brainer.

“He is one of the most positive personalities I know,” said Simic, who first rode in the Little 500 in 1960, when Chappie Blackwell was the starter. “It’s always ‘can do’ and ‘make it work.’ He has a commitment to sportsmanship and fair play.”

Simic said Blackwell takes his responsibilities seriously, is thoughtful and is always prepared. When a student forgot to bring the race flags one year, it wasn’t a problem. Blackwell had a spare set in his trunk.

The next generation

The Blackwell family connection to the race deepened when Chap’s son, Chapman T. “CT” Blackwell, finished seventh in the 2004 Little 500 for ACR Cycling. He also rode in the 2006 and 2007 races for a team he started, the Black Key Bulls, posting seventh- and third-place finishes, respectively.

“That was so fun flagging him green and seeing him do it,” Blackwell said. “It was really something to give my son the checkered flag.”

CT Blackwell later served as the assistant starter for his father for three years, and the plan was for him to succeed his father as the starter. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in 2015.

A new opportunity to keep the family tradition going emerged, though. Blackwell’s nephew Scott Smith got involved with Little 500 when he served on the IU Student Foundation Steering Committee for the 2016 race. He had grown up attending the races, watching his grandfather and uncle performing their duties.

Smith, a Chicago resident, has been Blackwell’s assistant starter for the past few years. Next year, he will take over for his uncle as the starter for the men’s and women’s races.

“I’m really excited about that,” Blackwell said. “I think he’ll do an excellent job.”

“Chap and I have gotten really close through our annual trips to Bloomington in April,” Smith said. “As anyone who’s been to the races knows, there’s nothing in the country like Little 500 — for the riders, the student volunteers, the alumni volunteers and the fans. I’m proud to be able to follow in my family’s footsteps as the official starter, and I hope I make them proud, too.”

Deep appreciation

Blackwell’s involvement with Little 500 has gone beyond waving flags during the races. It has included sponsoring women’s teams and rider scholarships.

The sponsorships started with the Kappa Kappa Gamma women’s team in 1996. The next year, Blackwell and his family began sponsoring the Kappa Alpha Theta team in honor of his mother, 1954 IU graduate Nancy Blough Blackwell, and they have done so ever since. His sister Debbie Smith was a Theta as well.

The Blough-Blackwell Little 500 Rider Scholarships are in honor of Blackwell’s grandfather and mother. The F. McKinley Blough Scholarship is given to one male rider and the Nancy Blough Blackwell Scholarship is awarded to a female rider. The Blackwell family also created the CT Blackwell BKB Memorial Scholarship in his memory.

Chap Blackwell said he always stresses to people that while Little 500 is a premier collegiate bicycle race, it’s much more. It’s a way to support philanthropic efforts, a chance for students to create memories, and an opportunity for alumni to gather on campus to renew friendships and be part of the university.

“I really appreciate what Howdy did when he created this race,” Blackwell said. “It gives everyone a chance to come back and see each other at the university. So much hard work has been put into this. It’s been my life.”

Kirk Johannesen is a communications consultant for the Office of the Vice President for Communications and Marketing.