Wes Chandler Set for NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute Saturday
Thursday, September 10, 2015 | Football
IRVING, Texas – Florida and The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that they will jointly honor Wes Chandler with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments, this Saturday, Sept. 12, in Gainesville, Fla., during the game between Florida and East Carolina. Coverage of the game will start at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
“That's an honor that words really can't describe how I feel at this moment,” Chandler told GatorZone.com after the announcement in January. “I know that there's a lot of great players that have played that great game of college football. There's a lot of names that you recognize that have come before you and after you that have set major marks in that game. And to be considered in that elite class and recognized by individuals who say that you played the game at a level high enough to be honored, I'm very grateful.”
The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute program is a hallowed tradition that began with the inaugural class in 1951, and to this day the salutes remain the first of numerous activities in each inductee's Hall of Fame experience. During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each inductee returns to his alma mater to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will remain on permanent display at the institution. The events take place on the field during a home game, and many inductees cite the experience as the ultimate capstone to their careers, providing them one more chance to take the field and hear the crowd roar their name.
“Wes Chandler rewrote the Florida record books during his All-America career from 1974-77,” said NFF President and CEO Steve Hatchell. “He is one of the greatest pass receivers in Gator history, and we are thrilled to honor him in front of the Florida faithful at The Swamp.”
A First Team All-American following his senior season, Chandler finished 10th in the 1977 Heisman Trophy voting after leading Florida in receiving for three straight seasons. The senior team captain was a two-time First Team All-SEC selection, and he led the Gators to three consecutive bowl berths, including the 1974 Sugar Bowl. Ending his career as the highest scoring non-kicker in Florida history with 172 points, Chandler caught 92 passes for 1,963 yards and a then school-record 22 touchdowns, which still ranks in the top 10. A star for College Football Hall of Fame coach Doug Dickey, he appeared in the 1978 Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Game. A 1977 First Team Academic All-American and member of the SEC Honor Roll, Chandler was the recipient of Florida's Fergie Ferguson Award, which is presented to the senior who displays outstanding leadership, character and courage.
Taken in the first round of the 1978 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints, Chandler spent 11 seasons in the pros with the Saints, San Diego Chargers and San Francisco 49ers. The four-time Pro Bowl selection was named the NFL Wide Receiver of the Year in 1982, and he is a member of the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame and 50th Anniversary Team.
After his playing career, the New Smyrna Beach, Fla., native coached in NFL Europe and the NFL, as well as at Central Florida and California. Chandler currently serves a wide receivers coach at Football University, a series of educational football camps held across the country. Active in the community, he founded the Wes Chandler Youth Foundation in 1982 to help local children in Daytona Beach, Fla., with academics, business acumen and discipline in sports. Chandler is a member of the University of Florida, Florida-Georgia and the Florida High School Athletic Association halls of fame.
Chandler becomes the eighth Gator to be inducted, joining Carlos Alvarez (1969-71), Wilber Marshall (1980-83), Emmitt Smith (1987-89), Steve Spurrier (1964-66), Dale Van Sickel (1927-29), Danny Wuerffel (1993-96) and Jack Youngblood (1968-70). Three coaches with stops in Gainesville are in the Hall: Charlie Bachman (1928-32), Doug Dickey (1970-78) and Ray Graves (1960-69).
Including the 2015 class, only 963 players and 209 coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame from the nearly 5.12 million people who have played or coached the game over the past 147 years. In other words, only two ten-thousandths of one percent (.0002) of those who have set foot on the gridiron have earned the distinction. Click here for a complete list of players and coaches in the Hall.
The 2015 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted at the 58th NFF Annual Awards Dinner, held at New York City's historic Waldorf Astoria Hotel on Tuesday, Dec. 8. This year's College Football Hall of Fame Class includes: Trev Alberts (Nebraska), Brian Bosworth (Oklahoma), Bob Breunig (Arizona State), Sean Brewer (Millsaps [Miss.]), Ruben Brown (Pittsburgh), Wes Chandler (Florida), Thom Gatewood (Notre Dame), Dick Jauron (Yale), Clinton Jones (Michigan State), Lincoln Kennedy (Washington), the late Rob Lytle (Michigan), Michael Payton (Marshall), Art Still (Kentucky), Zach Thomas (Texas Tech), Ricky Williams (Texas) and coaches Bill Snyder (Kansas State) and Jim Tressel (Youngstown State, Ohio State). For more information, please contact Will Rudd at wrudd@footballfoundation.com or by calling 972.556.1000.
