Bob Chandler
Encyclopedia
Robert Donald Chandler (April 24, 1949 - January 27, 1995) was an American football
wide receiver
in the National Football League
.
between 1971 and 1982 for the Buffalo Bills
(1971-1979) and the Oakland Raiders
(1980-1982). He led the NFL in receptions from 1975-1977 with 176, and was named Second-Team All-Pro in 1975 and 1977. He also caught four passes for 77 yards in the Raiders 27-10 Super Bowl XV
victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in January 1981.
In the first game of the 1981 season against the Denver Broncos
, Chandler stretched out for a pass and took a hit so severe it ruptured his spleen
. Chandler was rushed to a Denver hospital where doctors saved his life. Chandler made a miraculous recovery and returned to the field later in the season.
Chandler finished his career with 370 receptions for 5,243 yards and 48 touchdowns, along with 11 carries for 18 yards.
Chandler served as a color analyst for NFL games on NBC
in 1983, hosted 2 On The Town for CBS
from 1984-1987, and hosted Amazing Games (a global documentary series about the world's most exotic sports) for ESPN
in 1989. He also served as a "Technical Advisor" for the humor book The Unofficial NFL Players Handbook.
at the University of Southern California
, he was a captain and the team's leading receiver during his senior year. He played in two Rose Bowl games, and was named Most Valuable Player of the 1970 Rose Bowl when Trojan quarterback Jimmy Jones hit Chandler for a 33 yard touchdown. Chandler broke several Wolverine tackles, and gave USC its margin of victory.
In 1996, The University of Southern California established the Annual Bob Chandler Award, given to an underclassman based on his athletic ability, academic scholarship as well as character on and off the field. The award funds a scholarship for the player's full tuition, room and board for the following year.
Chandler was inducted into the USC Hall of Fame in November 1999. Highlights of his USC athletic career are on permanent display in USC's Hermitage Hall lobby.
and graduated from Whittier High School in 1967. Chandler was considered one of the best all-around high school athletes to play in Southern California.
At Whittier High in the late 1960s, he was All-CIF in football and basketball and was one of the country's top high school decathletes, high-jumping 6 feet 7 inches, pole-vaulted more than 13 feet, while putting the 12-pound shot 57 feet.
Chandler's father Gene Chandler was the mayor of Whittier, California in 1987-1988. Chandler evenutually married his college sweetheart Marilyn and had three children, Marisa, Justin and Emma.
In 1994, Chandler, though a nonsmoker, began experiencing a nagging cough. A rare strain of lung cancer was discovered in his lungs in September of 1994. He continued to work on Raider broadcasts while undergoing chemotherapy treatment at the USC Norris Center, but died on Friday, January 27, 1995, at the age of 45, after a four-month battle with cancer.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
Professional career
Chandler played in the National Football LeagueNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
between 1971 and 1982 for the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1971-1979) and the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1980-1982). He led the NFL in receptions from 1975-1977 with 176, and was named Second-Team All-Pro in 1975 and 1977. He also caught four passes for 77 yards in the Raiders 27-10 Super Bowl XV
Super Bowl XV
Super Bowl XV was an American football game played on January 25, 1981 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1980 regular season...
victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in January 1981.
In the first game of the 1981 season against the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Chandler stretched out for a pass and took a hit so severe it ruptured his spleen
Spleen
The spleen is an organ found in virtually all vertebrate animals with important roles in regard to red blood cells and the immune system. In humans, it is located in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen. It removes old red blood cells and holds a reserve of blood in case of hemorrhagic shock...
. Chandler was rushed to a Denver hospital where doctors saved his life. Chandler made a miraculous recovery and returned to the field later in the season.
Chandler finished his career with 370 receptions for 5,243 yards and 48 touchdowns, along with 11 carries for 18 yards.
Chandler served as a color analyst for NFL games on NBC
NFL on NBC
NFL on NBC is the brand given to NBC Sports coverage of National Football League games until 1998, when NBC lost the NFL American Football Conference rights to CBS...
in 1983, hosted 2 On The Town for CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
from 1984-1987, and hosted Amazing Games (a global documentary series about the world's most exotic sports) for ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
in 1989. He also served as a "Technical Advisor" for the humor book The Unofficial NFL Players Handbook.
College career
Chandler played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, he was a captain and the team's leading receiver during his senior year. He played in two Rose Bowl games, and was named Most Valuable Player of the 1970 Rose Bowl when Trojan quarterback Jimmy Jones hit Chandler for a 33 yard touchdown. Chandler broke several Wolverine tackles, and gave USC its margin of victory.
In 1996, The University of Southern California established the Annual Bob Chandler Award, given to an underclassman based on his athletic ability, academic scholarship as well as character on and off the field. The award funds a scholarship for the player's full tuition, room and board for the following year.
Chandler was inducted into the USC Hall of Fame in November 1999. Highlights of his USC athletic career are on permanent display in USC's Hermitage Hall lobby.
Personal life
Chandler was born in Long Beach, CA and was raised in Whittier, CaliforniaWhittier, California
Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California about southeast of Los Angeles. The city had a population of 85,331 at the 2010 census, up from 83,680 as of the 2000 census, and encompasses 14.7 square miles . Like nearby Montebello, the city constitutes part of the Gateway Cities...
and graduated from Whittier High School in 1967. Chandler was considered one of the best all-around high school athletes to play in Southern California.
At Whittier High in the late 1960s, he was All-CIF in football and basketball and was one of the country's top high school decathletes, high-jumping 6 feet 7 inches, pole-vaulted more than 13 feet, while putting the 12-pound shot 57 feet.
Chandler's father Gene Chandler was the mayor of Whittier, California in 1987-1988. Chandler evenutually married his college sweetheart Marilyn and had three children, Marisa, Justin and Emma.
In 1994, Chandler, though a nonsmoker, began experiencing a nagging cough. A rare strain of lung cancer was discovered in his lungs in September of 1994. He continued to work on Raider broadcasts while undergoing chemotherapy treatment at the USC Norris Center, but died on Friday, January 27, 1995, at the age of 45, after a four-month battle with cancer.