Edgar Thomas Chandler, Jr. (August 31, 1946 – October 17, 1992) was an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
player who played
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...
professionally for six seasons for the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
in the
American Football League
The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...
(AFL) and the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL), and for the NFL's
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
. Chandler was a two-time All-American at the
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
, in
1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
and
1967
Events
January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 5
** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
.
Early years
Chandler was raised in
Cedartown, Georgia
Cedartown is a city and the county seat of Polk County, Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 10,190. Cedartown is the principal city of and is included in the Cedartown, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is i ...
, by his mother. Nova Chandler, and his father, Edgar Chandler. Sr. Chandler Jr. attended school in Cedartown,. He played three sports during his high school days at Cedartown High School. Chandler was starter for the varsity basketball Bulldogs. He also competed in track and field, becoming a Georgia state high school shot put champion with a toss of 53 feet and 1 ½ inches. He was an All-American offensive lineman his senior year in 1963. He helped the Cedartown Bulldogs to their first state football championship.
College years
Chandler was an offensive right tackle for the
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
from 1964 to 1967. Chandler accepted an invitation to three different
bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivis ...
s in his senior year: The Liberty Bowl, the North-South Bowl, and the Hula Bowl. He was first-team All-SEC in 1966. The Bulldogs finished the 1966 season 10–1 overall with an undefeated 5–0 record in the
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
. Chandler helped lead the Bulldogs to the 1967 Cotton Bowl Championship.
Professional career
Chandler was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 1968 NFL/AFL common draft. He was converted to inside linebacker as a professional to take advantage of his speed and agility. Chandler played from 1968 to 1972 for the Buffalo Bills and in 1973 for the New England Patriots. Before ending his football career he played his last year with the Birmingham Americans of the upstart
World Football League
The World Football League (WFL) was an American football league that played one full season in 1974 and most of its second in 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest t ...
where he helped them to win the World Championship.
Chandler scored his only touchdown as a professional during week 7 of the 1970 AFL season. It came in the first quarter against the Boston Patriots when he intercepted the ball and returned it 58 yards to the end zone.
Life after football
In a 1977 episode of the Tonight Show with guest host Don Rickles, Chandler was interviewed by Rickles in the audience.
In 1988 Chandler was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandler, Edgar
1946 births
1992 deaths
People from Cedartown, Georgia
Players of American football from Polk County, Georgia
American football linebackers
Georgia Bulldogs football players
All-American college football players
Buffalo Bills players
Birmingham Americans players
New England Patriots players
American Football League players