Age: 22
College: Eastern
Kentucky
Height: 6’6” Weight: 250
Prelude:
Chambers received
All-American recognition as a senior at Eastern Kentucky ,
where he led the team in tackles and assists in three straight seasons. Chosen
in the first round of the 1973 NFL draft (eighth overall) by the Bears, he
moved directly into the starting lineup.
1973 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 14
games
(Bracketed numbers indicate
league rank in Top 20)
Sacks – N/A
Interceptions – 0
Fumble recoveries – 2
Tackles – 101
Assists – 31
Awards & Honors:
NFL Defensive Rookie of the
Year: AP, PFWA
Pro Bowl
Bears went 3-11 to finish
fourth in the NFC Central as the defense ranked 17th overall and
tied for 12th with 32 sacks.
Aftermath:
Chambers followed up his outstanding
rookie season by receiving second-team All-NFL recognition from UPI and the
Associated Press and first-team All-NFC honors from AP and The Sporting News in
1974. While he was not named to the Pro Bowl in ’74, he was in 1975 and ’76 and
was a consensus first-team All-Pro in 1976, his peak season. However, a major
knee injury limited Chambers to four games in 1977 and contract issues caused
him to be traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for 1978. Injuries and illness
hampered him in his first season with the Bucs but, moved to right end opposite
Lee Roy Selmon, Chambers again became a big-play lineman in a 1979 season in
which defense carried the team all the way to the NFC Championship game, after
which he retired. Overall, he was named to the Pro Bowl three times in seven
years, but injuries cut short a career that began with great promise.
--
Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were named Rookie of the Year in
the NFL (including NFC/AFC), AFL (1960-69), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized
organization (Associated Press – Offense or Defense, Newspaper Enterprise
Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, or the league
itself – Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year).
