Jeff Chandler (kicker)
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Robin "Jeff" Chandler (born June 18, 1979) is a former American college and professional football
player who was a placekicker
in the National Football League
(NFL) for three seasons in the early 2000s. Chandler played college football
for the University of Florida
, where he became the all-time leading scorer with 368 points. Thereafter, he played professionally for the San Francisco 49ers
, Carolina Panthers
and Washington Redskins
of the NFL.
. He attended Mandarin High School
in Jacksonville, where he played kicker and wide receiver
for the Mandarin Mustangs high school football
team. Chandler was also a standout letterman in soccer
and tennis
.
, where he joined coach Steve Spurrier
's Florida Gators football
program as a walk-on in 1997, kicking one extra point
and later being granted a redshirt
for the remainder of the 1997 season. He subsequently played for the Gators from 1998 to 2001
, and was rewarded with an athletic scholarship
after the 1998 season. He successfully completed sixty-seven of eighty field goal
attempts in his career, and 167 of 180 attempted extra points after touchdowns (PATs).
Chandler was the Gators' all-time career leader in field goals completed, first in PATs made, and second in field goal percentage (83.8 percent). He ranks second in Southeastern Conference
(SEC) history in scoring with 368 points, fourth in league history in field goals made and second in field goal percentage. He kicked his career long field goal of fifty-four yards in the Gators' 34–23 victory of the rival Georgia Bulldogs
on October 28, 2000.
Chandler was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award
honoring the nation's top collegiate placekicker in 1999 and 2000; was a second-team All-American in 1999; a first-team All-SEC selection in 1999 and 2001; and was chosen by his teammates as the Gators' most valuable player for the 1999 season. He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree
in telecommunications in December 2001.
, and he played for the 49ers in (–). Chandler was released by the 49ers after the 2003 season, and he appeared on the regular season roster of two different teams in : the Carolina Panthers
and the Washington Redskins
. He played in thirteen games during his four-year NFL career, kicking nineteen field goals on twenty-seven attempts (70.4 percent), with a career long of forty-nine yards.
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...
player who was a placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
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...
(NFL) for three seasons in the early 2000s. Chandler played college football
College 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...
for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, where he became the all-time leading scorer with 368 points. Thereafter, he played professionally for the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
, Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
and Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
of the NFL.
Early years
Chandler was born in Jacksonville, FloridaJacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. He attended Mandarin High School
Mandarin High School
Mandarin High School is a public senior high school in Duval County Public Schools district located on Greenland Road in Jacksonville, Florida. In 2010, Newsweek ranked it 96th on its list of the best public high schools in the United States. In 2008, U.S...
in Jacksonville, where he played kicker and 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...
for the Mandarin Mustangs high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
team. Chandler was also a standout letterman in soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
.
College career
Chandler attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, FloridaGainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he joined coach Steve Spurrier
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...
's Florida Gators football
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
program as a walk-on in 1997, kicking one extra point
Extra Point
Extra Point is a twice-daily, two-minute segment on ESPN Radio that covers generic sports-related topical news and opinion. The AM edition airs Monday through Saturday at various times between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET, and the PM edition airs Monday through Friday between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET...
and later being granted a redshirt
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
for the remainder of the 1997 season. He subsequently played for the Gators from 1998 to 2001
2001 Florida Gators football team
The 2001 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2001 college football season...
, and was rewarded with an athletic scholarship
Athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
after the 1998 season. He successfully completed sixty-seven of eighty field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
attempts in his career, and 167 of 180 attempted extra points after touchdowns (PATs).
Chandler was the Gators' all-time career leader in field goals completed, first in PATs made, and second in field goal percentage (83.8 percent). He ranks second in Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) history in scoring with 368 points, fourth in league history in field goals made and second in field goal percentage. He kicked his career long field goal of fifty-four yards in the Gators' 34–23 victory of the rival Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia Bulldogs football
The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...
on October 28, 2000.
Chandler was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award
Lou Groza Award
The Lou Groza Award is presented annually to the top college football placekicker in the United States by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. The award is named after former Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns player Lou Groza.-Winners:...
honoring the nation's top collegiate placekicker in 1999 and 2000; was a second-team All-American in 1999; a first-team All-SEC selection in 1999 and 2001; and was chosen by his teammates as the Gators' most valuable player for the 1999 season. He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in telecommunications in December 2001.
Professional career
The San Francisco 49ers chose Chandler in the fourth round (102nd pick overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft2002 NFL Draft
The 2002 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft took place April 20–21, 2002 at the theater at...
, and he played for the 49ers in (–). Chandler was released by the 49ers after the 2003 season, and he appeared on the regular season roster of two different teams in : the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
and the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. He played in thirteen games during his four-year NFL career, kicking nineteen field goals on twenty-seven attempts (70.4 percent), with a career long of forty-nine yards.
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida Gators football, 1990–1999
- List of Carolina Panthers players
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of University of Florida alumni
- List of Washington Redskins players