Jeff Chandler (American football)


Jeffrey Robin Chandler is an American former college and professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League for three seasons during 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.

Early years

Chandler was born in Jacksonville, Florida. 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.

College career

Chandler attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, 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.
Chandler was the Gators' all-time career leader in field goals completed, first in PATs made, and second in field goal percentage. He ranks second in Southeastern Conference 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.

Professional career

The San Francisco 49ers chose Chandler in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft, and he played for the 49ers from to. 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, with a career long of forty-nine yards.