#34 Donald Gene Chandler of Council Bluffs, Iowa first attended Bacone (Junior) College in Muskogee, Oklahoma from 1952 to 1953 before transferring to the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. At Florida he played halfback, punter and placekicker for coach Bob Woodruff in 1954 and 1955. As a senior in 1955, Chandler led all major college punters with an average kick of 44.3 yards, narrowly beating out Earl Morrall of the Michigan State Spartans. Memorably, Chandler also kicked a 76-yard punt against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in 1955, which remains tied for the second longest punt in Gators history. Chandler graduated from Florida with a bachelor’s degree in 1956, and was a 5th-round pick for the New York Giants in the 1956 NFL Draft.
Don played in the first two overtime games ever in the NFL--one in 1958 as a New York Giant against the Baltimore Colts and one in the Western Conference playoffs as Green Bay Packer--also against the Colts. He led the NFL in punting in 1957 and kicking in 1962. Chandler was named to the 1967 Pro Bowl team as well as the All-Pro team. Don still holds the record for most field goals scored in a Super Bowl, with four against the Oakland Raiders in 1968. He was named the punter on the NFL 1960s All-Decade Team. He retired from the NFL in 1967 with 660 punts for 28,678 yards, 248 extra points, and 94 field goals. He also rushed for 146 yards on 13 carries and has a perfect passing completion average after going 3/3 for 67 yards.
After retiring from sports, Don was inducted into the Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame and to the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a “Gator Great” in 1989. He did at his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2011 at the age of 76.
Don played in the first two overtime games ever in the NFL--one in 1958 as a New York Giant against the Baltimore Colts and one in the Western Conference playoffs as Green Bay Packer--also against the Colts. He led the NFL in punting in 1957 and kicking in 1962. Chandler was named to the 1967 Pro Bowl team as well as the All-Pro team. Don still holds the record for most field goals scored in a Super Bowl, with four against the Oakland Raiders in 1968. He was named the punter on the NFL 1960s All-Decade Team. He retired from the NFL in 1967 with 660 punts for 28,678 yards, 248 extra points, and 94 field goals. He also rushed for 146 yards on 13 carries and has a perfect passing completion average after going 3/3 for 67 yards.
After retiring from sports, Don was inducted into the Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame and to the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a “Gator Great” in 1989. He did at his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2011 at the age of 76.
