Bob Chandler

Robert Donald Chandler (April 24, 1949 - January 27, 1995) was an American football wide receiver in the National Football League.

Professional career
Chandler played 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.

College career
Chandler played college football 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.

Broadcasting career
Chandler served as a color analyst for NFL games on NBC in 1983, hosted 2 On The Town for KCBS-TV in Los Angeles from 1984–1987, was a sports reporter for KABC-TV in the late 1980s 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.

Personal life
Chandler was born in Long Beach, California and was raised in Whittier, California 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 eventually married his college sweetheart Marilyn and had three children, Marisa, Justin and Emma. Chandler earned a law degree from Western State University College of Law. In 1994, Chandler, though a nonsmoker, began experiencing a nagging cough. A rare strain of lung cancer was discovered in his lungs in September 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.