Lt. Col. Chalmers Marshall Port

Entered into eternal rest on the morning of August 20, 2011, Lt., Col. Chalmers Marshall Port, USAF (Ret.), husband of Anna Mary Groninger Port.  Residence, Charleston, SC.  The relatives and friends of Lt. Col. and Mrs. Chalmers M. Port are invited to attend the funeral services of the former in John Wesley United Methodist Church Tuesday, August 23, 2011, at 11:00 am.  Burial will follow in Live Oak Memorial Gardens.  Friends may call at J. HENRY STUHR, INC., WEST ASHLEY CHAPEL, 3360 Glenn McConnell Pkwy., Monday between 5:00 and 7:00 pm.

Coach Port was born August 9, 1931 in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, a son of the late George A. Port and the late Kathyrn Johnson Port.  Coach Port was dedicated to his faith, family and friends as well as helping the youth of the community.  Also, each team and player he coached meant so much to him.  He was a phenomenal motivational speaker and a talented writer, who was also known for his outstanding sense of humor.  He proudly served his country in the United States Air Force where he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel and was a veteran of the Korean War.

Coach Port graduated from Juanita Joint High School in Mifflintown, PA; he graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1954 where he played baseball and football.  He won the Patterson Award in his senior year for Most Outstanding Athlete and held the pitching records at UNC for many years.  He received his Masters Degree from Penn State University in 1960.   He played minor league baseball for the Milwaukee Braves organization.  He was football coach at Titusville High School for 7 years.  He was the Football and Baseball Coach at The Citadel for 10 years before coaching baseball only.   He spent 27 years (1965-1991) as Head Baseball Coach at The Citadel where he compiled a 641-386-2 record for a .624 winning percentage and had a winning record in 24 seasons.  At his retirement, he was the winningest coach in military school history and led The Citadel to 5 postseason NCAA Regional Tournaments.  The 1990 Citadel baseball team reached the College World Series, the only military school to ever accomplish this feat.  He was proud of his players' graduation rate where only 3 players ever failed to graduate.  He led the Bulldogs to 7 conference championships, was named Atlantic Regional Division I Coach of the Year in 1983 and 1990, was named Conference Coach of the Year 5 times and State of South Carolina Coach of the Year 3 times.  He was a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association for 31 years, where he served on the Division I All-American Selection Committee for 20 years and where he also served on the Rules Committee for 7 years.  He was a former member of the NCAA Division I Selection and Tournament Committee.  He was a former member of the World Series Game Committee where he also served as Chairman. 

His accomplishments include being named the Sporting News National College Coach of the Year in 1990, an inductee of the South Carolina Hall of Fame in 1994, inductee of The Citadel Hall of Fame in 1996, American Baseball Coaches Association in 1996 and inductee of the Charleston Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.

He is survived by his wife of Charleston; two sons, William A. Port and wife, Nancy, of Charleston and Kenric E. Port of Atlanta, GA; two daughters, Sharon Forrester and husband, Butch, of Charleston and Laurie Rogers and husband, Bobby, of Fort Mill, SC; and five grandchildren, Anna and Madison Port, Corey Forrester, and Chalmers and Ben Rogers.  He was preceded in death by a brother, George Alfred Port and a sister, Jolene Port Guiser.

Memorials may be made to the Chal Port Baseball Scholarship, The Citadel, 171 Moultrie Street, Charleston, SC 29409 or to John Wesley United Methodist Church, 626 Savannah Highway, Charleston, SC 29407.