Dr. Robert Champlin played basketball at Bridgewater State College for four seasons (1957-1961). His finest year came as a senior (1960-61) when he averaged 17.1 ppg and led the team in assists. That year the Bears won the NETCC Championship and played in the NAIA Northeast Regional Championships. He was named to both the NETCC and the SNECC All Star teams that year. At Bridgewater he was awarded the "Outstanding Contribution to Sports" Award in 1961 presented by the Men's Athletic Association. During his junior year Dr. Champlin served as the college's Sports Information Director.

Following his graduation from Bridgewater, Champlin went on to earn his M.Ed at Boston University (1966), and his Ph.D. at the Ohio State University (1970). Dr. Champlin recently retired from Fitchburg State where he was a Professor of Geosciences.