In 1997 Sports Illustrated wrote, "Juan represents the ideal of the scholarship athlete…a bright, hardworking student who didn't have the financial wherewithal to attend college but who found in football a key to open the door to higher education..."
Juan Chapa was a first-generation college student. The son of migrant farmworkers, he spent his summers in the fields. After high school he joined the police force, then enrolled at Gavilan College, where he played football, carried a full academic load, and worked night shifts. He earned a football scholarship to University of the Pacific, graduating with a B.A. in sociology with a minor in business.
Chapa worked for Xerox, Wyle Laboratories, Cypress Semiconductor, Mosel-Vitelic, ARM/Artisan, and Tensillica, where he served as vice president of North American Sales. He also started a business, ZeusTec Sales, Inc., which exceeded $50 million in annual sales in its first five years. He is co-founder and president of International Sales at ESMG (Entertainment Sports Marketing Group) World.